Sovereign Destiny
by agapeNuria
Summary: Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to a new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds? YYHxIY crossover.Now Complete
1. Prologue: Soul Whisperings

**Sovereign Destiny**

Prologue: Soul Whisperings

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. Nor will I be making any money off my story. This is for my own amusement, nothing more.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

What to expect with this story and to avoid confusion:

This is going to be a Yu Yu Hakusho/Inuyasha crossover, with the main pairing being unusual. It has been done before but it is a rare pairing, so you have been warned.

This story will be mainly from Yu Yu Hakusho's point of view. The main characters of Yu Yu Hakusho will make appearances and be apart of the story line but I only promise Kagome from Inuyasha, with the other characters possible coming in to play later in the story.

I will say this story is an alternate universe because I will be adjusting a few things to make my idea fit. The story is taking place about a year after the story ends in the Yu Yu Hakusho series, so I am writing with the assumption that people have seen all the series including the Three Kings Saga so sorry if there are spoilers. This will make Yusuke's age 18. Kagome on the other hand will be 26. Her journey with Inuyasha ended a long time ago.

And just to be clear from the beginning, there will be no character bashing; I happen to like Kuwabara and all the other characters in both shows and even though Kikyo does sometime annoy me I have nothing against her.

Prologue: Soul Whisperings

The rain was mild, just enough to freshen a weary land. It was like a blessed cleansing for restless and fatigued spirits. At least that is how it appeared to the woman who was staring out into the forest. A mist was beginning to rise around the temple and flow through the open training area where the woman was trying her best to meditate.

Trying and failing would be more accurate. This was a strange occasion for it was rare that the woman was not able to empty her mind of distractions and focus on the duty at hand. Her soul was greatly disturbed as if a heavy hand was laid upon her heart. It was a sharp contrast to her calming surroundings.

With a somber sigh the woman stood and walked to the edge of the arena and leaned her back against one of the pillars. The view on this side was breath taking. Gray clouds blocked the sun causing a beautiful but gloomy light to fall over the mountainside. The rain's mist mingled with the trees causing the forest to look thick and mysterious.

The woman was truly alone in her hidden forest temple; the nearest town was almost a day's walk away, and for the first time in years she felt it. She let her mind wander and think about times past: the things she loved, her losses, her gains, and the betrayals that had so wounded her heart.

A gold light streaked through the sky quickly drawing the woman out of her thoughts and putting her senses on high alert. She waited, staring intensely at the sky until flashes of color began.

Her senses reached out to the forest to find that even the animals and plants seemed to be holding their breath waiting to see what the light display meant. As quick as it had started, the flashes ended with no trace to be seen in the sky. The forest returned too normal and, once again, all seemed as it should but the woman was not fooled.

She felt as if her spirit was awakening from a long hibernation. The time that she had been patiently waiting for seemed to have finally arrived. This was the beginning. The question was the beginning of what? Only Fate, herself, truly knew.

The woman knew only one thing: her soul's despair had deepened. Her soul was telling her that many troubling times were once again coming and she had long ago learned to trust her instincts. There was not a moment to waste. It was time to step up her meditation and training.

Please review:

All comments and criticism will be greatly appreciated since I wish to improve my writing. This is my first story but I won't ask you to be gentle. Though, if you really feel like you must flame my work it will just be something amusing to laugh over with my fiancé and his brother while we play games.


	2. Chapter 1: Ordinary Days

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 1: Ordinary Days

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha. I am writing this story for my own entertainment.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

Life can be humorous if you let it be; it just depends on how you opt to deal with the good and the bad.

Chapter 1: Ordinary Days

The length of the evening shadows was a sign to the closeness of the upcoming night. The streets were crowded with people hurrying to their homes. A young man was among them, though "young" in this case is a relative term. According to age he was young, for he was barely two months passed his 18th birthday, but a look into his deep brown eyes tell a different story. He held wisdom that could not be gained through living the mundane human life. No school could possibly teach what he knew.

He had seen more than most war vets by the age of 15. He knew the evils capable of a human soul as well as the good that is possible in a demon. The conclusion he came up with after seeing so much is this: Life can be humorous if you let it be; it just depends on how you opt to deal with the good and the bad. You can be bitter, greedy and become the bad guy or you can just learn to take things as they are and move on.

He walked swiftly, sporadically brushing against people walking in the opposite direction. Gone were the days of people recognizing his face and jumping out of his way in fear. He now blended in with the crowd, outwardly, just another man on his way home after a hard day's work.

The legends of him had died down but were not completely gone. There was those who were truly obsessed with making his reputation sound worse then it ever was that still, persistently, spread rumors of his whereabouts. The latest story was that after he had dropped out of school he went north followed by his two thousand minions and was currently plotting a hostile take-over of the Japanese government.

Sometimes his name would come up in passing reference to punks who could never amount to anything, but in all, the name of Yusuke Urameshi no longer had any meaning or power to the people of the human world. In demon and spirit world his name was well known, respected, and in some cases feared, but none of this mattered to him. People could say or not say whatever they wanted; they always had and always would. He never cared before and was not going to start caring anytime soon.

Yusuke came to his apartment building and went inside, taking the stairs to the sixth floor. The insurance Atsuko had on the apartment that was destroyed in Sensui's attack a few years earlier, which had made a move into a better and bigger place possible. Yusuke, though he shared the apartment with his mother, was alone and had been for two months since his mother went to rehab. To say that her going into a rehabilitation program was the best gift he had ever gotten would be an understatement. So this left Yusuke to take care of the apartment until she returned, which would be shortly before Yusuke's wedding to Kayko in four months.

Once in his apartment, Yusuke went straight to his bathroom to take a shower. He had a date with Kayko and he didn't want to show up smelling like his job. Shortly after returning from the demon world Yusuke took a job as a martial arts instructor that taught young children self-defense. Although it was appallingly below his abilities, Yusuke enjoyed his job because he got to work with children; plus, he had the added bonus of teaching the children something useful. It would also give him a way to support Kayko after they were married, since good paying jobs were limited for a junior high drop out.

After his shower Yusuke dressed in a white shirt, jeans, a pair of white running shoes, and a green jacket. He hardly ever wore his hair back anymore because the softer look caused by having his hair free fit more into the life he was now building with Kayko. Once he was ready, he headed to the park.

Yusuke walked down the path looking for Kayko and when he spotted her, she was smiling at him. He could tell she was in a good mood, despite the fact she had spent most of the day helping her father in his restaurant. She was wearing black jeans and a blue shirt, with her hair left long.

"Ready to go?" Yusuke said when he stopped in front of her.

"Not yet." Kayko said as she reached up asking for a hug. Yusuke was leaning forward to comply with her silent request when he felt it; something was wrong and he did not need to be Kuwabara to know that this "something" was big.

&&Point of View Change&&

Today was like any other day: Wake up, eat, trade sarcastic remarks with Mukuro and go on the usual rounds along the border of the human and demon worlds. Another day, another human saved from his own stupidity; saved from having to know more than their simple minds could ever handle.

It was almost enough, after spending over a year erasing memories of weak humans, to make a fire demon miss the company of a certain fox, spirit detective, moron, and the weak females of his former punishment. Almost, of course, meaning not a chance, for after all he had yet to lose his sanity. Besides he had many strong people around him, such as Mukuro, so he had no need of those who were in the human world.

This did not mean that he had no idea what was going on in their lives. On the contrary, he knew at least the general gossip on each person that he was around those few years. He was regularly in the area checking up on Yukina, anyways, so there was no reason not to spy on them while he was there.

Mukuro joined him on his last round of the day, for this was their tradition. It was half way into the border search when Hiei noticed the eerier calm of the land. A quick glance at Mukuro told him that she felt it too. With his senses on high alert he widened the jagan eye's search range, trying to find the source of whatever was causing the imbalance in the land.

"It's south of here." Hiei said, his usual monotone in place. Mukuro in response gave the orders needed to change their course.

Neither one was prepared for what they found. It was actually the meaning behind their finding that distressed them, rather than the actual gory sight. Hundreds of dead ogres made a bloody carpet on the forest floor, bodies of ogres. Not any ogres, either: ogres that Hiei quickly recognized as workers of spirit world. A sudden sense of dread that he did not understand filled his heart.

"Go, I will take care of things here." Mukuro said without even glancing up at Hiei. Hiei didn't need to ask where she meant, he already knew. With a slight nod, Hiei turned and went off into the forest as fast as he could with only one destination in mind, Kurama.

I have only one request: Please Review.


	3. Chapter 2: Family

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 2: Family

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

Sometimes a person's greatest nightmare can be the life your conscience refuses to leave behind.

Note: Minor Character Reminders

Kokoda is the name of Kurama's new stepbrother.

Kaito is the first person with territory power they fight in the Chapter Black Saga. The one who He also goes to the same school as Kurama.

Mariko is the woman who was the first spirit detective.

Chapter 2: Family

Until now Kurama never understood the importance of words such as home or love nor had he ever had a desire to. Before, as Youko Kurama, he would travel from one place to another, meeting new people on the way and losing others.

He could say the only thing that mattered back then was the thrill of stealing, but he never consciously thought about it that way. He lived life the only way he knew how and the few whom he had called "friends" were dead or he had personally betrayed. Allowing himself to think that he needed no one had been his downfall. His own arrogance was the reason he got caught in the hunter's trap and why he had to take refuge in a human woman's womb to stay alive.

Kurama looked around at his family and saw his mother sitting in a chair smiling up at her husband, who was standing beside her. On the other side of the room Kokoda was laying on the floor playing video games. This was his home, not the room but his family. He loved his family and not even Hiei would ever call him weak for the choices he made to be able to stay with them. In reality, those he considered family extends to more than those who were currently in the room with him, but these to him were the center.

Kurama stood up and walked over to his mother to kiss her on the check before saying "I think I'll be leaving now Mother, thank you for the wonderful dinner."

"Take care of yourself Shuichi and please come visit us again soon," His mother said while getting up to walk him to the door.

"Yeah Shuichi, then we can have another rematch. I'm sure I'll beat you next time." Kokoda said, motioning excitedly towards his Playstation 2. With this said, Kurama walked out the door laughing.

&&Scene Change&&

After leaving his mother's apartment Kurama started walking towards his own which was across town. He moved into his own place after finishing high school, which was by the local university he was now attending along with Kaito. He started college about a month ago and between school, his job at a bookstore, and dodging Kaito's jealous rants, he could only visit his mother about once a week though it wasn't unusual to find Kaito and Kokoda playing games in Kurama's living room.

When he reached the park that was near his apartment he decided to walk around a bit before heading home. About five minutes into his walk he spotted Kayko leaning against a tree with her eyes shut. He was about to change direction to go talk to her when he sensed Hiei. Even before he was able to figure out which direction the fire demons aura was coming from Hiei was standing next to the confused fox.

"Hiei?" Kurama questioned, not bothering to cover his curiosity.

"The ogres of spirit world have been executed," Hiei stated. Kurama had, had many ideas about what this strange visit might be about, but this was not one of them.

"What?" Kurama said in surprise. "You can't possibly mean all the ogres. The spirit world depends on their labor."

"Not all, only Koenma's personnel." Hiei said with what sounded like irritation, and possibly worry.

"But why?" Kurama asked as he turned around to face the fire demon. When their eyes met Kurama realized something he did not like. Neither of them had a clue what it meant but their instincts screamed it was trouble.

&&Point of View Change&&

Kazuma Kuwabara woke up that morning before sunrise. This was usually a day he could sleep in, but Kuwabara didn't even notice he was being cheated out of sleep, as he got dressed for the day. When he went into the kitchen he found Shizuru already up, sitting in a kitchen chair staring out the window.

"You feel it too, little brother?" Shizuru asked as she looked up at him.

"Yeah it woke me up. I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep but the feeling wouldn't go away." Kuwabara said as he took a seat across from his sister.

"What do you make of it? All I can say is that I feel like something bad is going to happen." Shizuru shifted in her chair in order to rest her head in her hand.

"I'm not sure, which is why I'm going to head over to Genkai's and see what she and Yukina have to say." Kuwabara said walking towards the door.

"Going to use this as an excuse to see your girlfriend, huh? Well then I'm coming with you." Shizuru said with a smile as she followed her brother out.

&&Scene Change&&

It was almost one o'clock and the sun was high in the air but Kuwabara and Shizuru could hardly tell because of all the shade covering the temple's steps. Kuwabara could be heard quietly mumbling to himself as he counted stairs, while Shizuru was quietly cursing the old woman for having them in the first place. It was not like she was out of shape or didn't like the exercise but the premonition she was having had her nerves shot and the added bonus of having forgotten her cigarettes at home did not help. And come on, Kuwabara's count was over 3,000 and they were barely half way up – that was a little extreme, wasn't it?

Another five minutes passed and the temple was finally visible in the distance. When they reached the top Yukina, who gave Kuwabara a smile when he called out her name, greeted them. They walked inside and were greeted by Genkai, who got them all settled down with tea. This is what Shizuru liked about Genkai: she was gruff but she still always did what was needed, which at this moment was something to relax her before she became violent.

"Why are you here?" Genkai said in order to get to the point.

"Well Shizuru and I are both getting weird vibes that we can't figure out, so we thought we would check with you." Kuwabara said, putting his hands behind his head.

"A premonition, I see. I have noticed nothing unusual but if both of you are feeling them I suggest you stay here until we figure it out. If anything were to happen this would be the place everyone would gather, too. But don't think this is free time to flirt. The dimwit might be strong enough now to dodge my torture but you are fair game. Let's go," Genkai said while walking in the direction of her training area with an amused smirk on her face.

"Hey! But Genkai I…" Kuwabara started to shout before being cut off.

"You heard the lady, Kuwabara, hurry up and get moving," Shizuru said as she waved her hands at him in annoyance, while Yukina laughed softly.

"Hey Sis, I thought you didn't want me fighting anymore!" Kuwabara said.

"Well you aren't in school are you?" Shizuru said sweetly as she turned away from her brother, giving her full attention to Yukina.

"Get a move on!" Genkai shouted.

"Okay, Okay! I'm coming." Kuwabara yelled as he headed in the direction Genkai had disappeared in.

&&Scene Change&&

After a few hours of training everyone settled down for dinner. Although Kuwabara would never admit it, he liked training with Genkai and since she had all kinds of equipment he never had to worry about having to spar with Genkai, which could interfere with his code. He felt more relaxed then he had in weeks. Although he understood and respected his sister's desire that he concentrate on school rather than get himself into trouble, it did not change the fact that fighting was his way of stress release.

He knew he would never be as good as Urameshi and he no longer had any desire to try to compete because a man of true honor knows when to concede victory to someone obviously stronger. This did not change the fact that fighting was still a part of him, if only for his own enjoyment. So being around Genkai and her 'torture' was refreshing. Then of course there was always Yukina.

They ate their meal in relative silence with Yukina telling a story here and there. After they finished they went outside to meditate, something even Shizuru liked to participate in.

Kuwabara was the first to see the gold light in the sky. He stood up quickly making a gasping sound. Genkai, his sister, and then Yukina quickly followed. They stood there watching in stunned silence as bright colors flashed in the sky. It took a few moments for any of them to speak.

"Well it looks like we might be getting an answer to your premonitions soon." Genkai said as she turned to walk back inside followed quietly by everyone else.

&&Point of View Change&&

Kayko looked up to study Yusuke's face when she felt his hands go to her shoulders stopping her movement. His face had gone pale and he had a far away look as if he was trying to place something. She stepped back and started scanning the park for a possible source of his discomfort when she spotted Kurama and Hiei talking a short distance away. They also looked forbidding, which didn't tell her much since Hiei had always appeared unhappy to her.

She was about to reveal their presence when she spotted flashes of color in the distances. "Yusuke? What in the world could that be?" Kayko said snapping Yusuke out of his thoughts.

Yusuke looked up and found the source of the weird energy he sensed. "I have no idea, Kayko." Yusuke mumbled barely loud enough for Kayko to hear.

&&Point of View Change&&

Kurama and Hiei were still discussing the ogres' executions when Yusuke came into the park and approached Kayko. They slowly started to approach them while still in quiet conversation when they heard Kayko's voice. They looked in the direction of the girl's distress to find color flashes in the distance.

"Well that isn't normal now is it." Kurama stated, getting Yusuke and Kayko's attention.

"What are you guys doing here?" Yusuke asked surprised.

"Well, Hiei was telling me some information from demon world when we spotted you." Kurama answered a bit distractedly.

"What information?" Yusuke demanded impatiently. It had to be important for Hiei to show himself to not only Kurama but to him.

"The ogres on Koenma's staff have been executed," was Hiei's rough reply.

"So we have weird light shows and ogre executions, now normally I would say who cares and move on but my gut tells me there's something I'm missing here, so I think I might head to Genkai's and see if she has anything to say." Yusuke said this with authority but still looked at Kayko to see if she agreed. She smiled up at him, silently telling him she was fine with this but also that she was coming along.

"I'll come too," Kurama said while Hiei just grunted before taking off in the direction of the temple.

"Guess that means he'll meet us there." Yusuke quipped, "Come on if we hurry we might be able to get to Granny's before midnight."

&&Point of View Change&&

Mariko stood outside her house staring out into the night. Her husband stood back and watched her. When he could no longer take the silence, he said: "Mariko, why are you so worried? He is a demi-god, it's not as if he needs you to fight his battles for him."

"Sometimes a person's greatest nightmare can be the life your conscience refuses to leave behind." Mariko stated bleakly.

"Mariko?" This just perplexed her husband even more.

"Never mind, it's nothing. You're right; whatever is happening in spirit world is none of my concern. Let's go to bed now." She said this while grabbing her husband's hand, gently pulling him into the house.

&&End&&

Please Review.


	4. Chapter 3: Bounds of Loyalty

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 3: Bounds of Loyalty

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

There are times when people can dig themselves so deep in a hole that only another person who loves them can pull them out.

Chapter 3: Bounds of Loyalty

It was almost two o'clock in the morning by the time they reached Genkai's temple. They could have arrived sooner but Kurama had thought it wise to get their affairs in order, so they could take off for a couple of weeks without worrying about obligations, if the need should arise.

Yusuke was only vaguely surprised to find everyone still up, but considering Hiei had arrived hours before them, it made sense. He was surprised, though, to find Kuwabara and Shizuru sitting across from Genkai and said so.

"Shizuru and I woke up this morning sensing some bad vibes, so we decided to come here to check with Genkai. After seeing that weird light show I guess we decided right," Kuwabara said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Genkai decided to speak up. "Hiei has informed us of what he's seen in the demon world. I find the ogres' execution greatly disturbing because it shows that there's an imbalance in the spirit world and even the slightest imbalance there can have major consequences in both the human and demon worlds."

"And I say executing a bunch of paper pushers is a sign of something bigger than a minor imbalance." Yusuke reasoned.

"Of course you dimwit, mass death never signifies anything small," Genkai retorted. Yusuke realized he was tired when he couldn't find the energy to respond to that. He scanned the room to look at everyone's face: Genkai, Yukina, Kurama, Kuwabara, Shizuru, Hiei, and lastly Kayko. They all looked worn out and he did not like the depressed look on Kayko's face.

When Yusuke finally spoke again he said, "Look we're all tired and all this thinking is giving me a headache. Is there anything we can be doing now? Would it do any good to head into the demon realm?"

Hiei was the one to respond to this. "No, if an imbalance in spirit world spills out into the living worlds it will start in the human realm. Mukuro is taking care of things in demon world and if our presence is needed she will send word to me."

Yusuke, satisfied with this response, said, "So what do you say Genkai, can we all get some sleep?"

Genkai answered, "Yes, I'm sure we'll be needing our strength or at least a clear head tomorrow," with a weary sigh. So, everyone started the task of finding a place to sleep.

&&Scene Change&&

Dawn's light had barely broken when Yusuke woke to the smell of breakfast. When he reached the kitchen area he smiled at the sight that greeted him; Kayko and Yukina cooking with Shizuru leaning against the counter giving orders. One by one the rest of the group arrived in the kitchen, including Hiei. They ate in silence as they enjoyed the fleeting calm. After breakfast they went into the training area of the temple to try to discuss the situation.

Shizuru was the first to speak. "Something's been bothering me. Kurama, since you're technically the oldest would it be safe for me to assume you know the most about spirit world?"

"Considering who the rest of our group is, that would be a safe assumption." Kurama answered cautiously. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, what reason would there be to execute the ogres? I thought they were at the bottom of the spirit world hierarchy."

"They are on the bottom which makes them the first logical choice to be executed if there ever was a need for such actions." Kurama said, pausing momentarily to collect his thoughts before continuing. "The ogres are the ones who deal with the paper work. All documents are first processed through them and put into proper order before any of the higher ups see them. Because of this, although they are at the bottom, they know as much and in some cases more than their supervisors. So if there ever was an uprising the ogres would need to be the first silenced."

"Well isn't that just great, it's all the same, the laborers work hard all their lives and for what? To get axed, umm oops yeah I guess literally." Yusuke then laughs a bit uncomfortably at Kuwabara's glare but stopped when Kayko smacked his arm. "Okay, okay, sorry but hey I didn't mean to! It just came out wrong."

"Try thinking before you speak, dimwit," Genkai reprimanded.

Kuwabara was the one to distract Yusuke before an argument could break out. He had noticed his sister deep in thought, not even paying attention to what was going on. She had a look on her face that he knew meant she was getting vibes again. Seeing that Yusuke was going to try to win a verbal sparring match with Genkai, he spoke up about it.

"Hey Sis, are you sensing something?" Kuwabara's question snapped Shizuru out of her pondering.

She took a second to realize his question was directed at her. I can just sense Kurama is choosing not to say something and I feel whatever it is, is important."

"Kurama, if this is true I do not value your silence. Speak now." Hiei spoke firmly.

Kurama took his time before responding. When he did so he looked directly at Shizuru as he spoke. "When I was still Youko I heard many rumors. I have never been one to put much faith in the validity of unconfirmed rumors such as these but there is one that keeps…" Kurama was never able to finish his thought because Yukina interrupted him.

"Isn't that Botan?" Yukina softly asked. Everyone looked up in the direction indicated by Yukina to find Botan flying down towards them on her oar.

She landed just outside the training area and walked over to greet them. The first thing that everyone noticed about her was that she didn't look as clean and orderly as she usually did. There were strands of hair loose from her ponytail and her kimono looked wrinkled and rumpled. The second thing that they noticed was her eyes were filled with pain and her smile was grim.

"Botan, what information do you have from spirit world?" Kurama asked as soon as she was in earshot. Botan finished the distance and tried to answer the question but no words would come out. Then she started crying.

Kayko, moved by the pain in Botan's eyes, quickly went to Botan's side and put an arm around her shoulders. Everyone was shocked; no one had ever seen Botan cry, though Shizuru had suspected she had at times.

Botan went to her knees and tried to regain her composure but to no avail. After a few moments Genkai was the one to speak, kneeling down in front of the girl and demanding to know what had happened.

It took a while to get the main idea of what had happened because Botan's voice was shaky and sobs made her unable to speak. It seemed that King Yama had turned against his son and ordered that he was to be executed.

"The first thing that made Koenma realize something was wrong was when he noticed that the ogres that had gone for their daily inspection were not returning. He became panicked and quickly ordered all other ogres to stop going. This was very surprising because to do so would be to disobey King Yama's direct orders. This caused a division with some ogres obeying Koenma's command while the others King Yama's. The ones who obeyed Koenma were those who had sworn loyalty directly to Koenma him as the future king and to spirit world and not to King Yama."

"Koenma then started pulling out files and handing them to George. When he seemed satisfied that he got whatever he needed he sent George into demon world with a command to destroy all that Koenma had given to him and then to go into hiding. I did notice that the pile contained records of Yusuke. He also ordered the ogres to destroy all files that did not pertain to spirit placement."

"Koenma then sent me into the area where the spirits rest to check that the seal on limbo was tight. I was in the process of doing so when King Yama ordered the spirit world into lock down: no one was allowed in or out and all access and communication to the human or demon worlds was cut off." Botan explained growing calmer as she spoke.

"You mean King Yama used a sealing spell to seal spirit world off?" Kurama asked surprised. He has heard that there were spells powerful enough to do something like this but had never seen such a spell himself.

"That's correct. It's only supposed to be used in case of emergencies when spirit world is in great danger," Botan said.

"That explains the flashes of light," Hiei stated.

"Flashes of light? Around what time was this?" Botan asked.

Yusuke answered, "I'd say about 7:30 last night."

"That time sounds about right," said Botan.

"Well then that solves our two mysteries," Genkai stated. "Please continue, Botan."

"Two mysteries? What was the second?" Botan asked confused.

"Hiei found a graveyard of ogres," was Kuwabara's response.

"Oh I see, so they're dead then." Botan said with sadness. She then continued on, "I was outside limbo checking its seals when I felt spirit world seal off. This confused me more than I already was; I truly had no idea what was going on so I just followed Koenma's orders. Once I finished I headed back to Koenma's office when Koenma came running toward me. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me through the halls and outside the side of the building. There wasn't much land between the building and the drop off but Koenma went to the side and started touching the barrier seal, moving around as if he was looking for a break in it. When I questioned him, his only response was that he had to get me out of spirit world and that I needed to go into hiding."

"He seemed to have found a break and started a chant when King Yama's Special Forces caught up with us. Koenma quickly stood up and made a barrier around us and tried to continue with his spell. That's when I found out about the execution order and so Koenma's orders started to make sense. They were shouting at him that as King Yama's son he should stop running and face his punishment as a man. Koenma responded that he had no fear of dieing, but that he would not allow them to kill those who were innocent. They told him that anyone that might have loyalty to him was not innocent. That's when I realized that my life was in danger too and that Koenma was trying to save my life and get me out, not himself."

"Koenma didn't have his pacifier with him and I could tell his energy was quickly draining. When the Special Forces started to work on breaking down his barrier I knew then that even if he was able to make a hole in the seal I was the only one who would be going through. I told Koenma that my loyalty and life belong with him and I would rather die with him with my honor. He just smiled at me, pushed me through and then started resealing it so they couldn't come after me." When Botan finished she once again began to cry.

Everyone was shocked with the exception of Genkai and partially Kurama. Out of the others, most would never have thought Koenma was capable of such a seemingly unselfish act and no one could understand what had caused King Yama to betray his son, or what Koenma had done to deserve death. They all were about to learn how many assumptions they had and how wrong those assumptions were.

&&Scene Change&&

It was noon and the streets were crowded and the stores busy. For the woman trapped in the middle of the chaos the whole city was claustrophobic. The trees were too young and too few. There was too much greed and pride, and not enough compassion. These were the reasons why it had been so long since she had dared to venture out into the realm of 'normal' human life, not counting the point fact that she was being hunted and being a recluse was a better way to hide than trying to fit in with mainstream life when she obviously wasn't normal.

She usually had no need to leave her temple to come into the human cities, because she wanted to leave her home she usually went into the demon world. Her family, especially her brother, took care of keeping her supplies in stock, and they would go visit her so she wouldn't have to go to them. She was uncomfortable walking around in jeans and tennis shoes since she was accustomed to wearing close fit for a fighter and a priestess.

Her only comfort was that she was able to sense her trusted demon cats following her along the rooftops and that she had a mission to complete. Her brother had offered to go to their grandfather's friend for her but she knew the delicacy needed to get what she had in mind accomplished and decided to do it herself.

Her conscience bothered her only slightly. She did not like the fact that she was going to have to be deceitful to get things going but she could see no other way. The fate of the demon and human world and all those she loved in both was more important than her outward honor. She knew her intentions were pure and besides, there are times when people can dig themselves so deep in a hole that only another person who loves them can pull them out. The woman had every intention of pulling him out whether he wanted her help or not. She could only pray that he would survive long enough to receive it.

When she final reached the shrine she was greatly relieved. The sooner she got this done the sooner she could get back to her training and the sooner she could be reunited with him.

When she raised her hand to knock on the door of the house, the door opened before she could make contact. An old woman greeted the younger one.

"Come in, come in, I have been expecting you since your grandfather called. What help can an old woman such as myself be to such a beautiful priestess as you?"

The younger woman blushed at the praise before stating, "Actually, I have a favor to ask of you. I was wondering if you would mind…."

&&End&&

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	5. Chapter 4: Waiting

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 4: Waiting

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

So that was all Yusuke could do: wait and receive a long overdue lesson in patience. A lesson that Yusuke was sure he was failing.

Chapter 4: Waiting

Yusuke was never one to wait around for action to come to him. He has always been more than ready to go to where the action was and beat it down in its own den. Some might call him fearless for this trait, while others, such as Hiei, would just call him a fool. In any case the fact was patience was not a strong word in his vocabulary, which was why waiting around in Genkai's temple was killing him. It was all he could do because the entire living world, both human and demon realms, were waiting. He could not even train for fear that his or the others' energy levels might give their position away, which according to Botan, should be safe thanks to Koenma.

It would seem that Kurama was not the only demon that heard the rumor that he was going to share before Botan's arrival. Concern was already heightened with the fast spreading rumor of the ogres' executions and once the demons realized that spirits were no longer being taken to spirit world because spirit world had been cut off from the living world, they started to organize. They were preparing for a possible war that they had no way of winning. How could their meager power, compared to a Kami, even hope to stand up against King Yama if he decided to rid the world of humans and demons once and for all?

The rumor was that Koenma had been at odds with his father over policies concerning humans and demons for centuries, even before the barrier went up. The rumors suggested that Koenma's interference was the only reason King Yama hadn't done away with humans and demon alike. It even went as far as to say that even though it was irrefutable that Koenma was the one who created the barrier in the first place, throwing the demons into their own realm 400 years ago, that he did it as a last ditch effort to save the demon and human realms from his father's wrath. The barrier then had a positive consequence because it allowed Koenma to take over direct dealing with the living world and minimize King Yama's direct interaction and knowledge as he acted as a mediator for the human and demon realms.

With all this in mind only one question stood out: Was there any way to win against King Yama if Koenma was dead? According to Botan, Kurama and what was left of elder demons, the answer was no, King Yama was a Kami and the king of spirit world, only the future king could displace him. That left only one certainty: they need Koenma and they needed him alive, but with no way to reach him in the spirit world and no way of even knowing if he was still alive that left no action available but to wait. So that was all Yusuke could do: wait and receive a long over due lesson in patience. A lesson that Yusuke was sure he was failing.

&&Scene Change&&

It had been about a day and a half since Botan's arrival and about a day since they received the news about demon world. Nothing had changed, yet Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara meet once again to try to discuss a strategy. After a few minutes of repeating what had already been said before they gave up but not before Yusuke asked Hiei why he was staying with them and not heading back to demon world to prepare with Mukuro.

Hiei responded, "Mukuro is more than capable of handling the preparation. As much as it disgusts me to admit it, my time would be better spent here waiting to see if Koenma lives, since nothing can be done until we know what happened to him."

After the meeting, Hiei walked in the direction he thought his sister might be, followed by Kuwabara. Kurama and Yusuke also went in the same direction because they were sure Yukina would be with everyone else. When they found them, they were greeted with an interesting sight. Yukina, Shizuru, and Kayko were watching Botan on her knees with her pink kimono she was wearing yesterday in her hands pulling things out of the pockets as Genkai watched impassively from a distance. Big piles of things were already on the ground and growing bigger as Botan continues to toss stuff.

"What in the world?" Yusuke exclaimed, while Kurama looked on amused, Hiei impassively, and Kuwabara questioningly.

"Don't ask me, one minute we are all chatting, the next Botan's calling herself stupid and digging through her Kimono," Kayko answered.

"What are you looking for, Botan?" Kurama asked

"Something special, I can't believe I forgot all about it. I really hope I have it in here," Botan answered distractedly.

"Something special? That's rather vague, don't you think, Botan?" Shizuru said.

"Oh yes, of course," responded Botan, while still digging, "It's something Koenma gave me when I first started working for him. That was back before Koenma had a spirit detective and he did the work himself. I had a hard time keeping track of him so he modified a communicator for me so I could track him. After Mariko started working for him I hardly ever had to use it anymore because he was in his office all the time, but I kept it around for sentimental reason and in case of emergencies."

"Koenma used to do the work of a spirit detective?" Yusuke asked skeptically.

"Of course he did. As part of his duties as the future king it is his responsibility to maintain order in the human and demon realms," Botan said in annoyance.

"Come on Botan, I'm not buying that. How can a toddler…"Yusuke started.

"For one, stop calling Koenma that, he is not a toddler!" Botan said looking up as she fixed burning eyes on Yusuke. "Koenma may look like a toddler when you see him sometimes but that's because he is in his chibi form, a form that makes thing like storing spirit energy more effective. He is considered a full adult in the eyes of his kind and has been for centuries. As you know his kind can store their spirit energy into an object – in Koenma's case, his pacifier – that way it can be used to create a powerful attack, spell, or barrier among others things."

Botan continues to eplain, "Well, about 15 years ago King Yama ordered Koenma to store all his spirit energy. This meant he could no longer use spirit energy during battles, which limited what he could do outside of paper work. He could no longer fight because the constant drain of his spirit energy made him too weak. Obviously that wouldn't work since he had to keep order in the living world and so he created the position of spirit detective. This way he could still fulfill his duties without disobeying his father. His chibi form allows more spirit energy to be stored because it takes less spirit energy to regulate body functions. Being in chibi form was not required by his father but he adopted it as his preferred form about eight years ago." Yusuke had nothing to say to this.

"How does this thing allow you to track him?" said Kuwabara, trying to break the tension that had filled the room.

"It's been modified to where it's always locked on to his distinct spirit energy and life patterns. This allows me to be able to pinpoint his location and also see what kind of physical condition he's in. It's strong enough to where, if I can find it, I should be able to track Koenma and see if he's alive, even if spirit world is cut off. Also, as a safety precaution, it is fixed to where only I can read what it says," Botan explained.

"Bingo, here it is!" Botan said excitedly as she stood up to reveal a silver heart shaped communicator. "Well here goes nothing," Botan said as she flipped it opened. As she studied the screen her eyes grew bigger. "According to this he is nearby but his life signs aren't strong and are growing weaker."

&&End&&

Please Review


	6. Chapter 5: Reflections of Koenma

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 5: Reflections of Koenma

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

He would not allow any harm to come to those here or those he longed for miles away; they were his family and his life.

Chapter 5: Reflections of Koenma

It was quickly agreed that it was too dangerous for non-fighters to go search for Koenma but that all people with healing abilities needed too. Kuwabara was left behind with Kayko and Shizuru in case anyone attacked the temple, while Botan, Yukina, Hiei, Genkai, Yusuke, and Kurama hurried to where the tracking signal was originating. Hiei's job would be to protect the group while they worked on Koenma.

They found him unconscious, propped up against a tree. To those who didn't know better, Koenma looked more like a rich college boy that had just got jumped for walking into the wrong neighborhood than a man with life threatening injuries. Botan had explained on the way there that it took a lot of force and effort to make one of his kind bruise or bleed but that did not mean they were invincible, only that Koenma could be almost dead and only have a few marks. Seeing that Koenma had quite a few bruises and bleeding from a few areas made everyone on edge.

Hiei used his jagan eye to make sure they were not taken by surprise; he would not allow any harm to come to Yukina if he could do anything about it. Genkai quickly started using her spirit wave technique while Kurama used a seed that would heal Koenma over time. Yusuke and Yukina waited until it would be their turn to try as Botan stared intensely at her communicator trying to see if there was any improvement.

After Genkai was done Yusuke attempted to heal him followed by Yukina and Botan. They put all their spirit energy that they could into trying to heal him but he never woke up. When they all became exhausted of spirit energy Yukina and Botan turned to conventional human medicine. They had no idea if it would do any good on a demi-god but they decided it wouldn't hurt to try. After they wrapped his cracked ribs they decided it was time to move him. They didn't like not knowing how he got there and those who became paranoid were eager to return to the temple. So Yusuke lifted Koenma onto his back and they started the journey back.

&&Scene Change&&

Evening had already become night by the time they reached the temple. They were thankful when they found that Kayko, Shizuru, and Kuwabara were ready for their return. They had prepared a place for Koenma, fixed dinner, and laid out the sleeping mats for the night.

After laying Koenma down on a bed and rechecking his wounds it was decided that those who used up their healing powers needed to sleep. They would be useless if they did not allow their spirit energy to return to them. Hiei spent the night on watch while the rest fell into an uneasy and fitful sleep.

Shortly before dawn Botan awoke abruptly. Her eyes snapped open and stared at the ceiling trying to figure out what woke her. After a few seconds she got up and quietly slipped out of the room. Once outside she looked at the sky and then it hit her. Botan's soul felt lighter as if a burden had been lifted and she realized it was because she could no longer feel the pain of the disembodied souls that had no where to go after death. That must mean that spirit world was connected to the living world once again and that King Yama had ordered the spirit guides to resume their work.

Botan didn't know how to feel or think about this so she went back inside. She walked over to Koenma, kneeled by his side, and studied his sleeping face. It was rare to see him unconscious and despite the circumstance she was enjoying seeing him like this. He looked so peaceful, kind, and wise when he slept like the prince she knew him to be inside. It was the side of him that he refused to show, but it was this side that had caused her to swear her loyalty to him all those years ago and what kept her near now. As she studied his face she realized that he no longer had 'Jr.' on his forehead, which delighted her.

She sat there a few more minutes in thoughtful reflection of her life before and after she met Koenma. She knew the future would be hard on him but that he had the strength to withstand; it was only a matter of helping him grasp this for himself.

With this thought she stood and went towards the kitchen. Since it was about time for the others to be stirring and she knew she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep and she did not want to be caught staring at her master, she decided to be productive instead by making breakfast.

&&Scene Change&&

After inspecting the grounds, Hiei settled in a tree for the night. Genkai had her boundaries protected with seals and spells that would warn of possible intrusions but someone would need to be on the alert to catch the warnings in time. Hiei had taken this task onto himself as a way that he might feel like he was doing something useful.

Hiei felt trapped waiting. Most of his life he had lived for himself, moving from one impulse to another but four years ago that all changed. The idea that what seemed to be a mere human boy could be the catalyst to life altering changes in someone such as himself was truly laughable but Hiei could see that it was true. It was the first time he had ever seen someone win a fight with pure luck and a desire to protect. In his life he had always seen that caring was a weakness, one that should be exploited. As time progressed he learned what kind of strength it could be.

Then there was Koenma. Though it would never be something he would admit, he had respected the prince from the time they meet. After being defeated by Yusuke he expected his punishment to be severe and helping out Yusuke while being able to still fight was in no way severe. Sure, the fact he could no longer kill humans and being stuck with Kuwabara grated on his nerves at times but the other options were in no way as pleasant. He quickly realized the genius of the plan, Yusuke would need help and he had Kurama and him in the position where they would 'gladly' offer their strength. Then by linking their cases together to where if one broke the rules the other would receive the punishment as well it made certain Hiei wouldn't betray since he was in no way stupid enough to make an enemy out of the fox.

Hiei's respect only grew after Koenma tried to have Yukina saved without his knowledge. It had shown Hiei that Koenma held great value in those who worked for him even if he hardly ever showed it. Also that he had an understanding and wisdom about people and demon alike that would make him a wise leader. The final boost was when Koenma released him from his probation. Koenma had no reason to keep Botan's word because she did not have the authority to make such deals but he did. Hiei had the suspicion Koenma knew that he would never be that far away even if his sarcastic impassive attitude gave the impression that he didn't care. Sometimes he almost wondered if Koenma knew his thoughts and action before he knew them himself.

This is why he felt trapped. He never knew how to express himself with feeling or words and he never wanted to. For him that would be weakness because it would mean his actions were no longer doing the expressing for him. Action counted more than words but there was no action to be taken. The man he had been waiting for to be king lay inside close to death and an indiscernible danger threatened everything he cared about and all they had worked for. Yet, the only thing he could do was sit in a tree, wait, and watch for dangers in the night.

&&Scene Change&&

A schedule was made that would make healings the most efficient without leaving the majority of the group drained. It was quite discouraging to see no outward change in Koenma's condition but it was also interesting. After all the healings he still had the same amount of bruises, his cuts hadn't closed, and his ribs, from what they could tell, were still broken. The only indication that what they were doing was having any effect was that according to Botan's readings his life signs were slowly stabilizing. So they continued like this for a day, then two, and then another.

"So you still haven't found any information on your brother?" Kuwabara asked Yukina on the fourth day while helping her care for Koenma. It was a rare occasion that he could talk to her without people listening in.

"No, nothing. I had hoped that with the barrier down it might be easier but it's just the same as before," Yukina's sad voice answered.

"I still don't understand why your people would do such a thing to a baby," Kuwabara stated while redressing a wound on Koenma's left arm.

"It had been the experience of the ice apparitions that males are violent which you must realize for the majority of demons this assumption is true. Since males weren't needed for survival they locked themselves away in order to protect themselves. Over time their hearts became as icy as their power and it became forbidden to mate with males – males of fire especially," Yukina absent mindedly explained.

"And fire is strongest against ice," Kuwabara inserted.

"Huh?" Yukina said, giving her full focus attention back to Kuwabara since she was now done with Koenma. She sat on a chair next to Koenma's bed while Kuwabara moved to make himself comfortable on a chair by Koenma's feet.

"Oh, yes of course," Yukina began again after she realized what Kuwabara had said. "That's why the others of the village felt what my mother did was so wrong. If my brother grew up to be violent he could destroy everything."

"Why him and not you?" Kuwabara asked seriously looking at his beloved. "I mean you're fire and ice too, right?"

"Yes I am but as a girl they knew my personality would be more ice than fire because fire is a male dominate trait. They had no hope that he would be any different and they were not going to take the chance. I can't defend what they have done nor do I agree with it but that is their reasoning. Their hearts are frozen and the only emotions they can now express are bitterness and distrust. Even though I am more ice than fire, fire still burns strong within me and it won't allow my emotions to freeze like the rest. That's why I left to find my brother. He's the only one who might fully understand me because I know he knows understands how it feels to belong nowhere. It may be foolish to believe he's still alive but I would rather be foolish than to give up hope." Kuwabara could see the determination in her eyes as she finished and it made him smile.

"Yukina I…" Kuwabara started to say when movement from the bed caught both of their attention. They stared at him for a few moments to see that Koenma was definitely regaining consciousness. So Kuwabara did the first thing that came to his mind: He ran out the door screaming for everyone to come.

&&Scene Change&

The woman was once again at her temple now that her tasks were done. Her plan had been laid and now all she had to do was wait and see if they would take the bait. She sat with her back against a pillar as she looked out across the expanse of forest that was her property.

Her faithful demon cat Kirara was in her lap relaxing as her master petted her. Karan was curled up beside her feet asleep. He had a difficult night last night no thanks to his master. It was no easy task sneaking into a psychic's home in the first place without adding a fire demon with a jagan eye into the picture, but Karan had managed.

The risk was well worth it though since she now knew that Koenma was alive. She could now breathe a bit easier. As much as she wanted to continue observing them and meddle she knew she had already done more than she should. Tempting fate was not her job but that of another.

&&Scene Change&&

The first thing Koenma recognized as he regained consciousness was the sound of Kuwabara's voice. Kuwabara? No, that was impossible; that would mean he was alive and more than that it would mean he was in the living world. He could hear the sound of people coming towards him and recognized that Botan was the one hugging him. It was after she had let go that he dared to open his eyes to see that everyone had gathered into his room.

"Alive?" Koenma breathed, his face clearly showing his confusion.

"Yeah that's usually the opposite of not dead." Yusuke replied.

"We were all very worried about you," Kayko softly told him.

Hiei interrupted the potentially emotional moment by asking, "How did you come to be in the forest?"

"Forest?" Koenma said while trying to sit up, though Botan stopped him from moving by pushing him back onto the bed.

"Yes that is where we found you four days ago. We then brought you here," Kurama answered.

After a few deep breaths Koenma tried his best to answer but he just felt so weak. "I…I don't know. My father wasn't very pleased that I had kept your location…from him. So he tried to torture it out of me. When he figured out it was pointless he took me in front of the counsel to execute me."

"Counsel?" Kuwabara interrupted.

"Yes there is a counsel made up of lower Kamis that King Yama has to answer to. They don't have much power over him but all high offense trials such as treason have to be carried out in front of them as well as the punishment," Botan answered.

Seeing that there were no other questions, Koenma continued, "I was on the verge of passing out when I heard a commotion in the distance. I have no idea what happened after that. Truthfully I'm quite shocked I'm alive, it doesn't make sense."

"Could it be possible that some of the Kami there saved you?" Genkai asked.

"Yes, it is possible but I see no reason why they would," Koenma said, closing his eyes. He then sat up, ignoring Botan's protests, to notice he was only dressed in a loose pair of pants and the bandages covering his ribs.

Koenma reached a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose before saying, "As much as I would like to answer all your questions, at the moment I am much too tired." With this said he turned to his side and pushed the pillows onto the floor before lying on his stomach with his head resting on his arms. He was asleep again even before he finished moving. After a few moments Koenma started to faintly glow blue.

"What is that?" Yusuke exclaimed.

"Well ah he is regenerating, let's leave him in peace," Botan said while trying to get people to leave the room.

"Regenerwhatering?" Yusuke responded.

"Regenerating. It's like his natural healing process and it's… oh okay I don't know," Botan said in agitation as she finished getting them out of the room and then slid the door closed behind her. "All I know is he can do it, I don't really know what it does because I've never seen it done before and I haven't asked. Okay?"

Yusuke couldn't help but laugh at her obvious irritation for not having an answer about the subject. Soon everyone joined in, in one-way or another, even Botan. It wasn't that it was that funny it was just that the laughter was contagious. The tension that had been silently building to a breaking point over the past week was finally released at Botan's expense. She didn't mind at all though; her master was once again with her.

&&Scene Change&&

Koenma sat alone on the steps in front of the temple. He could hear the movements of the others in all areas of the temple but no one made a move to join him. He had asked to be left alone and was thankful they were abiding by his wishes. He needed time to think, especially after the conversation he just had with the group.

_Flashback_

"Why are you not as strong as your father?" Hiei asked bluntly. It was the question Koenma had hoped would not be asked.

"Why would you think I would be?" Koenma asked in attempt to divert attention.

"Because Botan told us that you are an adult of your kind. Although you're not as old as your father your power should be somewhere near his but it isn't. Why?" Hiei said, glaring at Koenma. He would get his answer.

"That is because I have yet to take a mate," Koenma said. It was obvious to everyone that he was uncomfortable but the others joined in anyways.

"What does having a mate have to do with the strength of your powers?" Kurama questioned. He was very curious because little to nothing was known about the ones who ran spirit world.

"I am incomplete without a mate and because of this my power is also. When one of my kind takes a mate their souls and powers combine and mingle making both complete," Koenma explained.

"How much would your power increase?" Hiei asked.

"At the very least two fold but it can be infinitely stronger. It just depends on the two souls that merge. Before you ask, with how strong my power is now two fold would be enough to match my father's, but don't get your hopes up. I will not be taking a mate." Koenma answered. Genkai could see that Koenma was becoming agitated on top of uncomfortable when he seemed to find his hands interesting and was refusing to look up.

"Why not?" Yusuke yelled, "I'm sure we can find some girl somewhere blind enough to marry you. What about Botan? You would marry him for the sake of the living world, wouldn't you?" Kayko hit him in the head as he finished.

"I…I…I…" was all Botan could say as her face turned a bright shade of red.

Koenma saved her from further embarrassment by stating, "That is not an option. The mates of my kind are chosen by fate herself and I can't get a mate any other way that would complete me. Please, before you start in about maybe fate will choose my mate in the near future, it's not happening. Okay?" Koenma's voice was continually rising as he spoke. By the time he finished he was standing with eyes that were blazing with furry.

He continued, "I already know who my chosen mate is and she's beyond my reach now. There is nothing that can be done about this so we will speak of it no more. Leave me in peace!" with this yelled Koenma retreated to the front of the temple but he could hear Botan speaking as he departed.

"This is a very sore subject with Koenma and unless you want a very angry and wrathful demi-god on your hands I suggest you leave him be. He may not be as strong as his father but he is more powerful than any of you." He could hear no more of what was said after that and he didn't care.

End flashback 

Koenma was so confused. He didn't understand how he lost her. Every decision he made was with her in mind. How could decisions he made to protect her end up being the cause of driving her away? As he sat there his pain increased when he thought of a reason. It was so clear now. His father was planning his betrayal even then. The more he thought about it the more he realized it probably had started earlier than that. Why had it come to this? It hadn't always been this way. There was once a time when life was in harmony. Of course that was before his mother died.

Koenma's mother's death seemed to be the start of the spiraling downfall. Back then everything was in balance. In the living world the humans and demons were living in a delicate balance between peace and hatred and the spirit world still consisted of two realms: the spirit and the nether. Spirit took care of human spirits and nether took care of demons. It was definitely a time of less stress.

Each realm had a king and each king a mate. Then there was the counsel of the Kami that was made up of spirits of both human and demon that had done something incredibly rare and noble in their lifetime. They served as both a mediator between the realms and a restraint for their powers. It would not be good for one of the kings to do something rash that could upset the balance of the worlds. This is how things were for generations.

Then both kings lost their mates within a week of each other. It was such a rare and unusual coincidence that it could only be said that fate had it planned, though neither king would accept this. The king of nether world who lost his mate first blamed the king of spirit world saying he had her killed. King Yama blamed the nether world for the death of his wife saying it was retaliation for a crime he did not commit.

Anger, paranoia, and hatred built for about a century with no success from the counsel to calm them down. Then the unthinkable happened; the nether world invaded the spirit world. The result was the destruction of the nether world. Spirit world then had to take over all responsibilities of both realms, which was a burden it was not ready to handle.

King Yama then became the absolute authority and as the saying goes 'absolute power corrupts absolutely.' His paranoia continued to build as did his hatred, which after the destruction of nether world became directed at the humans and demons he ruled over. He despised half-breeds, saying that they were trying to be like them who were supposed to be their gods which in a way was true since their kind were basically mutts. Koenma's mother was human while his grandmother was a demon, but the idea of them intentionally trying to become like them was preposterous since most didn't know of their existence, much less knowingly seen them. This fact did not stop his father from looking for reasons to destroy them all.

Koenma found himself constantly having to defend those who they ruled over while trying to keep up with the overload of spirits coming in. It was impossible to keep up and the ineffectiveness was causing things such as haunting and possessions to occur more often which was caused by misplaced and spiteful souls.

Around 500 years ago things went from bad to worse when a batch of new Kamis was added to the council. It was a very rare occurrence for a spirit to become a Kami, so when seven spirits were made into Kamis within 70 years warning bells went off. Usually it was left to the counsel to look for spirits worth becoming Kamis but with so many coming in the king got suspicious and thoroughly investigated. King Yama found that six of the spirits were humans and one was a half-breed that became human. It seemed a major event had happened in the living world 70 years prior that these souls participated in that granted them Kamiship. The fact that a soul that once was a half-breed had made it in infuriated his father.

There was nothing he could do about it, though, except watch more closely for a reason to hand out his wrath to the human world. That chance almost happened 400 years ago but Koenma stopped it by creating the barrier. It had a good effect and yet many bad ones. The demons infuriated that they were separated from the humans revolted and they lost control over most of the demon realm. In a way it was good because it lessened the responsibility of the spirit world but bad because the demons became increasingly violent. As a result of the realms being separated, humans over the centuries became lazy and most lost spiritual awareness, while demons weakened greatly and became more uncivilized. As a rule of thumb only demons about 600 years or older at the time of the barriers creation weren't affected. This number was limited and most are now gone.

There were exceptions though, which were the demons that were involved in the event 500 years ago. It seemed they worked along with the humans to maintain peace and they were so strong that they couldn't be ranked in the spirit world ratings. To use their guide it would have to be said that they were at the very least triple S class demons. These demons have their own rules and hierarchy and don't involve themselves in the politics of the demon world. They were also not affected by the barrier and have always had free access to both realms, which never presented to be a problem since they had no intention of causing harm in the human realm but rather blend into it. Still King Yama considered them enemies.

It was because of these events that Koenma was able to bring a kind of order that had been prevailing in the spirit world. Koenma convinced his father to allow him to recruit more employees; ogres for paperwork and spirits to act as spirit guides. As he recruited he found many preferred to give loyalty directly to him as future king rather than to his father. This caused some stress but made things smoother in the long run.

Around 320 years ago is when he first saw Botan, or rather heard her. Koenma was in the living world because he just finished closing off a barrier breach when he heard laughter that caught his attention. It sounded so purely happy that he took the time to investigate. He found that it came from a young woman about 16 who was the daughter of a priest. She had long black hair that was tied into a high ponytail and green eyes. When he returned to spirit world he learned that her father was a Shinto priest and her mother was an English woman and that she had spent most of her life in England until recently after her mother's death.

Koenma was drawn to her and watched her through her life. He knew she would be perfect as one of his closest staff because her cheerfulness was just what his soul needed. Botan was only 25 when she lay on her deathbed from a mysterious illness. Though this was what Koenma had been waiting for it broke his heart to watch her die. When her soul released from her body Koenma, who at the time had silent tears running down his face, greeted her. He personally brought her to spirit world instead of another spirit guide and offered her a job. Botan, being so taken by his sadness, agreed and eagerly gave her loyalty to him. She has been like his second in command ever since. Her appearance changed when she became a spirit guide to fit her personality.

When he was ordered to store all his spirit energy he was not happy. Although dangerous his time spent in the living world had always been his favorite and fighting relieved his stress. He quickly found that paperwork only increased his stress and he soon became short tempered and bitter. Mariko was a delight to work with, which helped him adjust to his new imprisoned life. He was close to Mariko and Sensui in a way that he never allowed himself to be with Yusuke. By the time Yusuke came along he learned his lesson.

The experience with Sensui was something that would always lay heavy on his heart because it was his fault. Koenma could not see it any other way; he should have known Sensui, though pure, was too narrow-minded.

When he found Yusuke there were many things about him that Koenma found himself drawn too. For one he was in many ways the exact opposite of Sensui: impulsive instead of disciplined, very opened minded, and lost in life. These are the reasons he would give out loud if ever questioned but in truth they are not the main ones. It was the qualities inside of Yusuke that were so much like his beloved that made Koenma want to make something out him. Koenma saw his love, his need to protect, and his desire to be understood and have a place in life that was more than ordinary. To make up what he had done to her he would do right with him. Koenma had no hope of ever seeing her again or, if he ever did, to gain her forgiveness. He would not allow any harm to come to those here or those he longed for miles away; they were his family and his life.


	7. Chapter 6: Bittersweet Memories

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 6: Bittersweet Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

From the moment I met her I knew she was trouble but I didn't care, all I wanted to do was protect her.

Chapter 6: Bittersweet Memories

Koenma stayed outside until he heard everyone else settle in for the night. He had avoided them the entire day and had made himself weary with thoughts and worries. Although he slipped in silently, there was not one in the group who didn't notice. Everyone but Botan, surprisingly enough, was worried not only by his isolation but by the fact that he hadn't come in for meals and no one dared to bring food out to him. Botan told them he would be fine and he would have a plan for them to work on soon but with his reaction earlier that day everyone felt doubtful.

Yusuke chose to sleep in the area closest to Koenma's bed so he could keep an eye on him, so when Koenma came in Yusuke stayed awake until he heard Koenma's breathing even out. That night Koenma dreamed, though it was more like reliving memories.

Koenma's Dream 

It had been about three and a half years since Koenma had lost Sensui. The only good that came from it is that for a while there were no major incidents but Koenma would gladly trade manageable peace for a chance to fix his error. There was no need for an immediate replacement since there was nothing Koenma, even with his drained power, couldn't handle.

Work was, as always, prioritized from high to low threat but with nothing major happening Koenma was able to look at things he would normally miss. One of these things was an unusual power reading from the human realm. It was rated low threat because the readings indicated it was from a pure or holy source but Koenma couldn't stop wondering about it. Against his better judgment, Koenma left the spirit world for the human realm in order to investigate.

When I reached the human realm I changed into casual human clothes before tracking down the source of the power reading. I narrowed down the area to a shrine and decided to look around. Shortly after I had walked up the steps and an elderly gentleman, who was the priest and keeper of the shrine, greeted me. I accepted his offer of a tour and listened to his stories as I looked for what could be the cause of the readings.

_Shortly into the tour we came to what the priest called the Goshinboku. I quickly realized it was the source of the reading and its power was in fact pure. I also recognized that this tree was one of the sacred objects of Gaia. After this I half-heartedly listened to what the priest was telling me and declined his invitation to dinner._

_I decided to stay longer and was studying the tree when I felt a surge of power. When I went towards it I found a girl about 16 years old closing a door to what appeared to be a well house. She was wearing a green and white school uniform with a yellow backpack and was incredibly beautiful even though she was covered in dirt smudges. I realized as I looked at her that she was the one fated to be my mate and I was unable to ignore the power readings because it was now that I was to meet her. _

_She turned around and looked straight at me, brown eyes studying my form as she approached me. When she was just a little out of arms reach she stopped and continued to study me. After a few seconds she was the first to speak and her words took me by surprise._

"_You aren't human are you?" The girl said with a serious expression._

"_But then you aren't a demon either," she then smiled. "You're neither but then you're both. Hmm, well I don't sense any threat from you so tell me, who are you?"_

_I felt no need to lie to her so I simply said, "Koenma, prince of the spirit world."_

"_Spirit world? What is that?" the girl questioned._

"_I would love to answer but you look… tired, maybe you should rest awhile," I told her, taking in her appearance once again._

"_Tired?" the girl started laughing as she studied one of her arms. She then lifted it for me to see. "Is that a prince's way of telling a girl that she's filthy and needs a bath?"_

_I had no idea how to respond to this, "I…I…of course not its just…I…" My stammering only made her laugh harder._

"_No, no, I'm just playing. I know I need a bath but don't think I'm going to just go take one and let you slip away before you explain the spirit world that you're prince of." I could tell then she realized she was being playful and I could see a look of confusion cross her face. It seemed she was not use to easily trusting people or that trust was a luxury she wasn't able to afford recently. _

_I quickly spoke before I allowed any doubts in her to take hold. "I plan to stay and explain to you. Your… grandfather?"_

"_If he is the priest of this shrine then he's my grandfather," The girl said._

"_Okay, well he invited me to dinner, which I declined but I've recently changed my mind," I stated._

"_Oh, okay then. I guess I will go clean up," she said as she turned towards her house._

"_Wait!" I said, falling into step next to her, "You know my name but you haven't told me yours."_

"_Oh how rude of me. I am Kagome Higurashi. Nice to meet you Koenma," Kagome said with a slight bow of respect. Then she went inside and I went to find her grandfather to tell him I had changed my mind._

_&& Scene Change &&_

_Dinner was one of the strangest experiences I has ever had. After meeting Kagome's mother and brother we all sat down to eat. As Kagome sat she went right into questioning me._

"_So what is the spirit world?" She asked. I was stunned that she opened the door to such strange matters in front of her family._

"_Spirit world?" her brother questioned._

"_Yes, Koenma's not a human or a demon and he says he's the prince of the spirit world," She answered as calmly as if she was discussing her day at school._

"_Oh sounds interesting so tell us dear, what is the spirit world?" Mrs. Higurashi asked motherly. I took a moment before explaining about spirit world, how there was a separate realm for demons, and what my job entailed. _

_After I finished the only response was from Kagome. "Oh! I was wondering why I hardly see any demons in this time. I was worried they all died out."_

_Before I could ask about what she meant about" time" her brother spoke up teasing. "Hey Sis, now you have a friend in this time that's just as weird as you!"_

"_Why I ought too…"Kagome never finished because she felt what I had felt, a surge of energy. I realized then that after seeing Kagome I had forgotten all about what I had felt earlier._

"_Seems Inuyasha has come to bring me back already," Kagome said with a disappointed sigh. Inuyasha… that name had meaning to me but why? I never got to ponder my thought because the door behind Kagome violently slid open and I had a very angry half-breed on top of me, claws clenched around my throat. _

"_Who are you and why are you here?" As I stared at him something in my mind clicked and I remembered why I recognized the name Inuyasha._

_Flashback about 400 years ago_

_I went to where the Kamis gathered because I was curious about the one whose placement as Kami made my father so angry. I then met the one who was born a half-breed but died a human. He had long black hair and brown eyes._

"_You are Inuyasha?" I questioned._

"_Yes," He stated coolly while sizing me up. It made me quite uncomfortable. He then continued, "I will be watching your every move to see if you are worthy."_

"_I will do my best to be worth of being the next king," I responded._

"_I'm not talking about your future kingship. I'm talking about something much more valuable," with one last glare he walked away._

_Flashback end_

_During the investigation of the incident 500 years ago many rumors were found involving a time traveling priestess. It was said that she was the reincarnation of a priestess named Kikyo and that she and the jewel of four souls disappeared shortly after the defeat of a powerful being known as Naraku. I never paid much attention to these rumors and neither did my father, for one reincarnation was rare because the requirements were so precise. I could count all cases in my lifetime on one hand and knew each by heart. Second, Kikyo was one of the souls that made kamiship and if she was a Kami that would leave no soul to reincarnate. _

_I studied Kagome's face as she pulled Inuyasha off me and saw that, although they weren't copies of each other, there were enough similarities between Kagome and Kikyo to be mistaken as incarnates by a society that believed it common. I realized Kagome must be the time traveler, which meant that she had the jewel, and this was Inuyasha before he became a Kami. _

_My thoughts were interrupted with the amusing sight of Kagome pushing Inuyasha out the door and when she had him standing on dirt she promptly 'sat' him. This was followed by an angry rant about how he should know that if I was in her house then it was okay, that she did not appreciate him attacking dinner guests, and how he should try to make allies instead of enemies out of powerful beings that he runs into. She also explained who I was. The rest of her family just continued to eat dinner as if it was a normal occurrence._

_Inuyasha stood up with his ears folded flat on his head as he mumbled an apology. I could tell he was sorry about making her upset but not for attacking me. He obviously cared very much for Kagome._

_When he looked at me I could see the question in his eyes so before he asked I gave the answer. "I know who you are and what you're doing but rest assured I have no interest in the jewel of four souls. It's better for all that you complete your task without my interference." _

_The question in his eye then changed. If not for the jewel then why was I there? I answered by simply looking at Kagome who was silently watching. Though it was slight, Inuyasha got the picture and was not pleased by my response. He stared at me hard until suddenly he stopped and I could tell he decided not to challenge my claim. I was then very thankful at that moment for Fate. _

_Inuyasha then turned to Kagome and said, "We have a lead that needs to be looked into now. I'll try to make it quick so that you can have the rest of your time here." With a heavy sigh Kagome went back inside to pack. _

_I sat outside in silence with Inuyasha. I had a major problem on my hands because I knew that if my father found out that there was a chance to change the time line he would surely take it. I had no other choice; I would have to make sure he never knew of this place or of Kagome's involvement. I left the shrine that day with every intention of, for the first time, deceiving my father. _

_End Koenma' Dream_

Koenma woke up in tears and shakily whispered into the dark, "Kagome...I…I'm so sorry."

&& Point of View Change &&

After watching the sunset, Kagome went inside and got ready for bed. Instead of lying down she sat on her bedding while she petted Karan who had decided to join her for the night. She didn't feel tired since all she had been able to do the past few days was train and wait. After a while she let her mind wander a bit and she fell into memories.

After the final battle I was forced back into my own time. For a week I tried to fit back into normal life but I couldn't. I felt lost and without a purpose. Half of my family was gone and I was sure I would never see that half again. My family tried to help but to no avail and even Koenma wasn't able to get a smile from me. At the end of the week I decided to go on a quest alone. I would search for places I knew well in feudal Japan and see what had become of them. 

I got more depressed the more I searched. Most of the area of Kaeda's village was now a road and shops. Koga's caves had been mined out. The place where Miroku's father's life ended by the wind tunnel was covered over by a mall. I was almost too scared to find out what happen to the area where the village of the demon slayers once stood and I was surprised by what I found. The entire area was untouched. It seemed someone many generations ago had bought the land for the purpose of preserving it and had passed it down. I hiked up into the woods that had grown so thick and almost impassible from centuries of isolation. It took me quiet awhile but I found the village. There were only pieces of decaying wood sticking up in areas where buildings once stood and trees had grown up through the area but it was definitely the same place.

_I searched on my hands and knees until I could find a sign of where the graves had been for the villagers and then redid each marker. Afterwards I searched for Midoriko's cave, which I found relatively easy and went inside. Once inside I found Midoriko standing as always in her beautiful but horrific glory and then I then notice off to the side there was something new. I approached it and started crying once I realized what it was. Behind a barrier rested Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga, Sesshomaru's Tenseiga, Sango's Hiraikotsu, Miroku's staff, and some of Shippo's toys among other things. On the wall was carved "To Meet Again"._

_A letter that was included explained to me all that had happened in their lives but what was most important at the moment was that Kirara had found a mate by the name of Karan, an ice demon cat, and had twins that were named after their parents who should be in the cave or nearby. I searched around and found them sleeping behind Midoriko. When they woke up I could feel an instant bond form and knew they would be by my companions for the rest of my life. _

_I never told Koenma about what I found and had just plain refused to explain how I received my demon cats. He respected my wishes because he knew it wasn't that I liked keeping secrets from him but that it was just too close to my heart to share. In the end it turned out to be for the best because after the betrayal I was able to hide here. By that time I had found out that the demons I considered family were alive and they were the ones who owned the land. They helped me build my temple and start my life here. _

Kagome could only hope that she would not come to regret what she was planning.

&& Point of View Change &&

"Kagome…I…I'm so sorry."

Yusuke woke up quickly when he felt Koenma stir and heard what he had whispered. He couldn't take it anymore and decided he was going to personally get some answers out of Koenma even if he had to try and beat them out of him. Sliding the door to Koenma's room, Yusuke entered without asking. Stunned Yusuke stopped just inside the door when he saw Koenma.

Koenma was sitting up in the bed with his head in his hands and tears visible in the moonlight on his cheeks. Though, he must have known Yusuke was in the room he made no sign to acknowledge him. After a few moments, Yusuke slid the door shut again and walked over to sit down on a chair next to Koenma's bed. Yusuke didn't try to say anything to Koenma because he had no idea what to say, so instead he sat and waited for Koenma to speak and he was not disappointed.

"From the moment I met her I knew she was trouble but I didn't care, all I wanted to do was protect her. She was a time traveler and was involved in something in the past that my father would have loved to alter. I did everything I could to make sure my father never found out about her adventures and once they were over I thought things would be easier. Of course things can never be easy," Koenma explained as he gathered his emotions

"She found some demons that she knew in the past that my father hates with a passion but that she considers family. There was no way she was going to listen to my fathers demand that she cease all contact with them. In response he tried her for treason. Luckily there were those on the counsel that she also knew from the past that were outraged by this and rose up against my father to stop the procedures. The counsel would not have been able to stop the trial indefinitely but it was long enough to allow her to escape and disappear." Koenma paused and readjusted himself on his bed before continuing.

"I never did anything to try to stop it. I just sat back and waited. It wasn't that I didn't care. I love her, but I just had no idea what to do. Then she was gone and I haven't seen or heard anything about her since."

"I can see why you wouldn't want to talk about it but self pity is not going to solve anything and it definitely won't change what's happening now," Yusuke said gently.

"I know you're right and I will try to …the Goshinboku," Koenma said.

"The what?" Yusuke said confused.

"Nothing, just something I remembered in my dream. Something that might help us," Koenma answered distantly.

"Well what is it?" Yusuke demanded.

"I'm sorry Yusuke I need time to think on some things a bit before I can explain, but I promise you I will have a plan by morning," Koenma explained

"Well it's about bloody time, toddler," Yusuke said with a smirk as he got up and walked to the door. "Do that thinking quietly though so I can get some sleep." With one last smug grin Yusuke was gone.


	8. Chapter 7: A Plan In Motion

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 7: A Plan In Motion

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

If the Kami, especially Fate, favor my father then there is nothing that can be done, not even the strongest warriors can stand against their will.

Note: Minor Character

Okubo: was a part of Kuwabara's little gang of friends. He is the one that Kuwabara agreed not to fight so he can keep his job.

Kido, Kaito, and Yanagishawa: are the three with territory power that follow Genkai.

Kido had the power of shadow (could freeze a person by stepping on their shadow and move his own shadow)

Kaito goes to the same school as Kurama and had the power of taboo.

Yanagishawa has the power of copy.

Mitarai was apart of Sensui's group and had the power to control water, was a.k.a. Seaman. Turned from his path of destruction by Kuwabara.

Chapter 7: A Plan In Motion

Everyone was already together and waiting by the time Koenma decided to come out of his room the next morning. Yusuke had informed them that Koenma should have a plan but nothing else. He didn't feel right explaining what Koenma had revealed to him. Besides, since there seemed to be no way of finding her, it was irrelevant.

Koenma stood there a moment and studied everyone in the room before beginning. "The first thing that needs to be made clear is this is not a battle that can be won with brute force. If the Kami, especially Fate, favor my father then there is nothing that can be done, not even the strongest warriors can stand against their will. This is because, although, they might not have much power over a king's decision, they are the ones who control succession. Even if I was complete and ten times stronger than my father, if the Kami didn't wish it, I would never succeed in taking over."

"I see where you're going with this," Kurama said, "If the counsel of the Kami wanted you as king even though you are not complete your father wouldn't be able to stop it."

Koenma responded, "That's close but not quite right. Although they could stop my succession the only thing that gaining the counsel approval would do is give us the ability to fight my father for the throne because he would no longer have divine protection. It'll work this way because technically my father has yet to do anything that would be grounds for his removal and my actions can appear as if I'm just greedy for power. I will have to prove myself worthy of being king by successfully gaining the throne without killing my father and this can only be done after gaining the counsel's approval."

"How would you be able to do that if you're only half as strong as your father?" Yusuke asked.

"I have an idea that will solve that problem. As I've said this will not be a battle of brute strength with the main reason being we would lose. What we need to do is gain the counsel's support…"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Hiei interrupted sarcastically, "Walk into spirit world and ask King Yama to allow us to pass through?"

"He's right, Koenma. To get to the counsel you have to pass through King Yama's territory. That would be suicide!" Botan exclaimed

"Botan, calm down," Koenma said firmly. He waited until she did what she was told before continuing, "That is not what I am proposing. Even if it was it would be just plain stupid since most of the counsel hates me with a passion."

"That is why you don't think it was the Kami who saved you from your execution?" Genkai asked.

"Exactly," Koenma answered with a nod of his head.

"Wonderful! I already knew you have a talent for annoying people but did you really have to be yourself around beings that would be of help…" Yusuke was saying before Koenma cut him off.

"Quiet!" Koenma shouted. Yusuke just had a gift for making him lose his temper. "As I was saying I am not planning on just going up and talking to them, there is another way."

Koenma looked around at everyone to make sure he had their attention and that they knew better than to interrupt him again. "There is an ancient art that has a method of contacting the counsel from the living world. Throughout the living world there are things called the sacred objects of Gaia. These object are of nature and are focal points for the spirits of the land. It used to be by activating five of these focal points it would summon the counsel so that they may discuss things with people of the living world but that was before the barrier. Now, in order to do so, you have to activate three in the living realm and three in the demon."

By this point Koenma had regained his calm, "By doing this it will give me a chance to talk to the counsel and hopefully show I am true in my intentions. Though they may hate me, if I can show I mean no harm to the living world they may favor me over my father. This will hopefully show them my love for both realms because it is a big task that will involve gaining the cooperation of humans and demons alike. Also by gaining their approval it would solve the problem of me not being complete. After gaining their approval I would be able to harvest energy from Gaia, which would put my father and I on a more even playing field and if I have you guys fighting on my side there would be no reason why I would fail."

"So how do we go about doing this?" Kayko asked. She saw no reason why any of them should hesitate.

"We will need to find three objects of Gaia each in the human and demon world. I have hardly any knowledge of their location because it never had anything to do with me; it was between the counsel and the living world. So that also means my father won't know either, which hopefully we can use to our advantage. It will be easier to find the sacred objects of Gaia in the human realm than the demon because before most humans lost their spiritual awareness most could sense things with holy power and built shrines around them. I do know the location of one in the human realm that I found a few years ago, only because I just so happened to come across it."

"TheGoshinboku thing you said last night?" Yusuke asked, while the other looked between Yusuke and Koenma curiously.

"Yes the Goshinboku." Koenma answered with a smile before continuing. "Also, along with finding the sacred objects of Gaia we will also need to find a priest or priestess who knows the summoning technique to activate them. It's going to be hard to find one as it is but just finding one won't be enough. Although a priest may know the technique I highly doubt they would have the spirit energy or awareness to achieve what we need. So one of you will have to learn it from them. I would say Yusuke since he seems to be the most adaptable." Everyone was in agreement with this.

"Even if you were somehow able to do all this wouldn't King Yama just try to retake the throne if he was still alive?" questioned Shizuru.

Koenma smiled at Shizuru's tone since he found Shizuru's brand of bluntness refreshing. "More than likely yes he probably would if he was able to, but if I was able get to that point my position would then be sealed. There would be nothing he or anyone else could do about it until it was time for the next succession."

"I just thought of something," Kuwabara said, "What would happen if King Yama got rid of you?"

"What would happen is that my father would remain an unchallenged king until one of two things happen: one, he is given another mate and has another child, or two, the counsel finds a suitable human or demon to make a new royal blood line out of. Until then my father would be able to do pretty much anything he wanted because the Kami cannot challenge him without a successor in line."

"So we will need to make sure nothing happens to Koenma," Yukina stated.

"Yes I would suggest Koenma and Botan stay here while the rest of us do the grunt work," Genkai said.

"I would have to agree; the less Botan and I move around the less chance my father might be able to find us. It will also allow me to start storing my power again so that I will have a little bit more when the time comes," Koenma said and then sighed, "I guess back to being a toddler for me."

"I will go to Mukuro and see what she knows of these sacred objects of Gaia and start the search in the demon realm," Hiei said.

"I will also go to the demon world to see what Yomi knows," Kurama said next.

"Very well then, while you are there, one of you, or both, should talk to King Enki. Also, please be on the look out for George. I sent him into hiding and I'm worried about him being on his own," Koenma said.

"Fine but if I am the one to find him and he irritates me beyond my limits I will not be accountable for my actions," Hiei said before leaving for the demon world.

"Okay, I guess he doesn't care what the rest of us do," Yusuke said, staring where Hiei was just moments before. "I would say I'm going to the demon world to check out what Raizen's former generals know but I'm guessing I'll be needed here if I've been nominated to learn this technique thing."

"That's correct," Koenma said.

"Kido, Kaito, and Yanagishawa have been calling and bothering me all week with wanting to know what's going on, so I think I'll put them to work on locating sacred objects of Gaia here in the human world and trying to locate someone who knows about this art. What is it called by the way?" Genkai said.

"This art's name has long ago been forgotten but it is referred to as 'whispers and visions' or something along that line. The main way you would be able to tell if someone truly knows it is if they have an unusually pure soul. It's not something a person with any kind of spiritual awareness can miss. This is also true with the objects of Gaia." Koenma explained.

"Well I need to give a better excuse to my parents for being away with Yusuke for so long," Kayko said.

"I'll help with the search in the human world after I go pick up Eikichi. Okubo's been taking care of her for me but since this seems like it's going to take awhile I would feel better if I brought her here. If that's okay with you, Genkai," Kuwabara said looking at Genkai.

Genkai smirked and said, "Sure that will be fine. She can keep the prince and Botan company."

"Hey, that would mean I final get to meet Eikichi." Yukina said with a happy laugh.

"Heh, yeah," Kuwabara said grabbing Yukina's hand.

"Oh please," Shizuru said at the sight.

"Oh yeah, I'll also see if Mitarai wants to help out as well," Kuwabara said as Genkai nodded her approval.

"I guess I should also tell my mother I will be scarce before I head to the demon realm," Kurama said.

"No, if my little brother's going after his kitty, I will have to go with him to make sure he stays out of trouble so I might as well tell her for you," Shizuru offered.

"Oh okay then, I will write a letter for you to give to her," Kurama said with a smile.

"Okay then, all that's left is for me to make something to store my energy in since I no longer have my pacifier. Do you mind if I look around and use whatever you have around here Genkai?" Koenma asked.

"Knock yourself out," Genkai responded before shifting her attention, "Yukina, you should stay here for now and then you can go out with Kuwabara after he brings his cat back."

"Okay," Yukina replied. With nothing more to say everyone went on their way, leaving Koenma, Botan, and Yukina to search the temple.

&&Scene Change&&

Hiei scanned the land of the demon realm with his eyes from an edge of a cliff. His meeting with Mukuro had not been as fruitful as he would have liked and he was at a loss on what he should do now. He had no desire to speak with the king of the demon realm and figured Kurama was better suited at doing that anyways. Looking for the sacred objects of Gaia was the thing he would prefer to be doing but with no clues as to the locations he could not. There was no way he was going to go back to Genkai's empty handed, so it was decided.

The only thing left for him to do was search for George. It was not as if he hated the blue ogre but his temper was shorter than usual and George had a habit of incessant chatter. The idea of bringing back one of Koenma's most loyal followers pleased Hiei but it worried him that the others might catch on. He would need to do it in the most offhanded way possible to protect his pride. With this last thought in mind he started to search with his jagan eye. He located George's spirit energy pretty quickly and was pleased to see that he was close to Mukuro's territory. There would be no reason for suspicion on how he found him. With a slight smile to himself Hiei raced towards George's location.

&&Scene Change&&

Kurama made his way towards King Enki at his top speed. With the way things were going he could be back at Genkai's by nightfall. Yomi's words played over in his head. They both confused and worried him.

"All I know is this: things like sacred objects are controlled by a more powerful force than us and they do not bow down to our politics."

What did he mean by that? There were very few still alive that Kurama knew of who could fit that description and they were only marginally so. What could be stronger than an S class demon that wasn't a Kami? Finally, would they have to fight such a force to fulfill Koenma's plan and did they have a chance at winning?

&& Scene Change&&

George walked casually through a forest. He knew he had to keep moving or he would be found because it was just too dangerous to stay in one place for too long. The only part of the demon world he knew well was his homeland, which he could not risk going too. He hoped that his mother was all right. That King Yama knew that although the ogre village might count the death of Koenma's staff as acceptable losses they would not stand for a murder of one of their elders. King Yama would still need replacements for those he executed to run spirit world properly.

He was also worried about Koenma and Botan because he knew what it meant when Koenma sent him out here. Tension could be felt all over the demon realm and George was certain a war would break out soon. He just wished he knew who their opponent was but he could not risk asking. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the root in his path until after he tripped and was rolling down the side of the hill.

When he stopped he looked up to find something that surprised him. He had dreamed of being rescued by Koenma or someone on the former spirit detective's team but he wasn't sure if this was a dream come true or a nightmare. Besides, was Hiei really there to rescue him? George was scared to find out.

&&Scene Change&&

Yusuke decided he would accompany Kayko to talk with her parents and then visit his mother in rehab instead of waiting around. After they were done they went back to Genkai's to find Kuwabara, Yukina, Shizuru, and Mitarai there along with Botan and a now toddler size Koenma.

Before Yusuke asked the more obviously valid question he had to ask another first. "Uh, Koenma? Why is it that even though you had a say in what to store your spirit energy in you still made your substitute another pacifier? You do realize it just makes you look that much more ridiculous, don't you?"

"Rrrrrr…" Koenma growled and would have said more but Botan stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Yusuke! Do you really have to be so rude? It just so happens that storing power works better when done through the lips," Botan yelled.

"Kind of like when someone had to kiss me in order for me to revive?" Yusuke said. Botan shook her head in confirmation, "Okay then sorry. I just had to know. Anyways, why are you guys here?" Yusuke asked Kuwabara.

"Genkai called in and left a message that everyone should stay here. Seems they found some information. They should be back soon," Kuwabara answered.

"Good, I hope they had better luck than I," Kurama said as he walked into the room.

"Not much luck at finding anything, huh?" Yusuke asked.

"Nothing that makes sense anyways," Kurama said as he leaned against a wall.

"I had no luck at all in my search and you can see that by the misfortune I've found to bring back with me," Hiei said as he walked in with a very excited ogre behind him.

"Lord Koenma!" George yelled as he ran to Koenma, dropping in front of him, and gave him a lung-crushing hug.

"Okay, okay! I'm happy to see you too but get off!" Koenma yelled as he pushed the ogre off him, "Were you able to complete your task?"

"Yes, all records of Yusuke, his family, any friends, and other close allies of yours have been destroyed," George responded while taking a seat next to Botan. Koenma had said he was happy to see him; his harsh words didn't tarnish his joy at all because he knew that was just Koenma's way.

A little while later Genkai came in with Kido, Kaito, and Yanagishawa. She started speaking right away, "Before we start what did you two find in the demon world?"

"Mukuro knows nothing," Hiei said.

"Yomi knew nothing either but he did say something about sacred objects being controlled by a more powerful force," Kurama said with confusion evident on his face.

"I may know what he's referring to but we can cross that bridge when we need to," Koenma said. "What about King Enki?"

"I went to him and he knows nothing as well but will be looking into it," Kurama answered.

"Okay then it's our turn. Koda, explain what you found," Genkai said as she turned towards Koda.

"I went to a shrine and talked to an old priestess that lived there. She told me of an acquaintance that had the power over pure energy and that the trees whispered to her," Koda explained.

"That sounds like a good candidate. How old is this acquaintance and where can we find her?" Koenma asked.

"She said she was as old as she was wise and that she was very wise, so I figure old…and she also gave me a map of how to find her," Koda said pulling out a piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it to Yusuke, "She also said that her friend would only allow one guest at her home at a time."

Looking at the map, Yusuke exclaimed, "Man! Why is it whenever I have to go to someone they are out in the middle of nowhere! She better not have any stairs," chuckles at this could be heard all around.

"Well it's too late for you to go hiking now so you can leave first thing in the morning," Genkai told him without any mercy. "I suggest you wear good shoes. I hear that forest is harder to get through than any in the demon realm."

&&Scene Change&&

Yusuke was covered in dirt, sweat, and was getting angrier by the second. When he passed a tree that he was certain he passed an hour ago he pulled out his map once again. He didn't know what it was about this forest but he could not keep his sense of direction. It was almost as if the trees were playing tricks on him. He kept on going and after a few hours more he realized he wasn't going around in circles but rather everything just looked the same. It had to be some kind of illusion magic.

Yusuke finally caught sight of his destination around four o'clock in the afternoon, after ten hours of walking. It was beyond ridiculous that it took him that much time to cross over so little ground. When he reached the entrance he spotted an old woman dressed much like Genkai except her clothes were blue. She also had a cape with a hood that covered most of her gray hair and part of her wrinkled face.

"Welcome, by making it here you have passed my first test," the woman said and then gestured to a small house on her right. "That is my bathhouse. After you clean up we will talk. Do not enter my temple filthy." she then walked inside before Yusuke could smart off. As much as Yusuke wanted to be his usual rebellious self he knew that he could not risk making this woman mad, so he went to get cleaned up. He could feel by her energy that she knew the art they were looking for. Koenma was right; there was no way to mistake it.

&&Scene Change&&

Yusuke was silent as he waited for the old woman to speak first as they sat on their knees facing each other.

"I know why you are here. You wish to learn what is needed to activate the sacred objects of Gaia but I will not teach you," the woman told him.

Yusuke went from being impressed by her knowledge to being extremely angry in a matter of moments. With all the thoughts of trying to be respectful to this woman flying out of his head he yelled, "And why in the world not, you old hag!"

"Because I would be wasting my time teaching you. You do not have the spirit awareness needed to fully learn," she responded calmly.

"How do you know that? Old people are all the same. Thinking they know me when they don't have a clue," Yusuke said while glaring at the old woman in a way that would make Hiei proud.

"I know because of how long you took to get here. You passed because you made it here at all but if you had what it took to learn then you would have made it here in one hour, not ten," the old woman responded. Yusuke could see she was losing her calm by the way her eyes were beginning to burn.

Yusuke decided to push her over the edge, "No one could do that you stupid hag. Your illusions make that impossible. " His taunt had worked.

"It's because the fact that you can't even see through the simplest illusions that makes you unworthy!" the woman yelled as she stood up. "And for your information I'm not old!" Yusuke was stunned into silence as he watched her hood fall away and her appearance shift before his eyes.


	9. Chapter 8: Unusual Meetings

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 8: Unusual Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

By the time you and your father were done with me, family was all I had left.

Chapter 8: Unusual Meetings

Yusuke could see she was losing her calm by the way her eyes were beginning to burn, so he decided to push her over the edge, "No one could do that you stupid hag. Your illusions make that impossible." His taunt had worked.

"It's because the fact that you can't even see through the simplest illusions that makes you unworthy!" the woman yelled as she stood up. "And for your information I'm not old!" Yusuke was stunned into silence as he watched her hood fall away and her appearance shift before his eyes.

Her once wrinkled face became smooth, her gray hair went black, she seemed to gain a few inches in height, but her brown eyes stayed the same, glowing with fury. Yusuke had to admit she wasn't old but rather beautiful.

She continued to yell, "I happen to be only 26 you jerk! Those with demon blood in them are all alike, arrogant!"

She stood there glaring at Yusuke a moment then she suddenly started to laugh, "Oh my…your face… you better close your mouth unless you're trying to do an impersonation of a fish."

Yusuke closed his mouth, giving up on trying to respond. She sat back down and continued, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. I didn't mean what I said about you being unworthy. It's not like that at all. Man, you are so much like someone I use to know it's scary and he was able to get under my skin, too."

"Use to know? What happened to him?" Yusuke had forgotten his anger, which was replaced with deep curiosity. The creature before him had such an unearthly aura to her, as if she knew the secrets of the universe, like…like Koenma?

"Time happened," she said with a wishful sigh.

"Time?" Yusuke questioned. That answer set his mind working as he started to study everything she did.

"Yes, time but it really isn't important," she said, then purposely shifted the direction of the conversation, "let me explain better then I did before. I know the reason why you want to learn how to activate the sacred objects of Gaia but you don't have the spirit awareness required. If you did you would have been able to see through my illusions. As you know, Yusuke, there are different types of fighters in the worlds. You are an instinctive fighter with great strength and an unmatched ability to read your opponents but no one can excel in all areas. There's no shame in this. To truly be a great man, one must be able to see there own limitations and accept those limitations as strengths in others."

"Okay then," Yusuke said while contemplating her words, "what can we do then?"

"I have the ability and the spirit energy needed to activate the sacred objects of Gaia and will gladly aid you on your quest," she raised her hand to keep Yusuke silent, "but I will still need to train someone else as well. Koenma has greatly underestimated the spirit energy required to complete such a task. I could possibly activate three before exhaustion set in and then I would have to take time to recover. Time will be a very limited resource once the first sacred object of Gaia is activated. They will all need to be activated in a day's time or King Yama will be able to detect what is trying to be done."

"So you'll train someone to help you that would take the other three. I get it, but who would you train?" Yusuke questioned.

"Don't be dense. You already know whom I'll be training," the woman looked at him sternly.

"Kuwabara?" Yusuke responded.

"See, I knew you would get it. I must say I'm excited about the idea. Kazuma is a very interesting person," she said with a clap of her hands.

"How is Kuwabara 'interesting'?" Yusuke questioned.

"Okay, think about this. You got your powers because you died and when you revived Koenma taught you how to channel your spirit energy right?" she waited for Yusuke to nod before continuing. "Well Kuwabara never died and he has no demon blood in him, unlike you, yet he can still channel his spirit energy. He has progressed fairly far on his own while trying to keep up with you, Kurama, and Hiei without any proper training. Kuwabara's strength is not in physical fighting but rather in battles of mind over spirit. He has great potential he just needs to be shown what the potential is. The fact he made it as far as he did is beyond amazing and it shows his great will and determination."

Yusuke finally snapped out of a daze and realized something. "Wait one minute, how in the world do you seem to know so much about us? I don't remember introducing myself and come to think of it how do you know what Koenma's planning on doing in the first place?" Yusuke said, becoming defensive as he realized she knew way too much for someone he has never met before.

She just smiled and laughed saying, "Because I've been watching you and your group for quite awhile now. I was there at the dark tournament and I was there for the demon world tournament. Things that I couldn't personally observe I've listened for in gossip. You've been an interest of mine since I heard the rumor of a boy brought back from the dead. I know what Koenma is doing because it's the only thing that can be done. Simple logic really."

She had said the name Koenma twice and Yusuke noticed a change in her eyes each time. They deepened with sadness and pain. Yusuke saw another emotion in them that he could not identify and found himself hoping it was love. He started trying to rationalize everything in his mind. She did say something about time but what were the chances? He had to find out if his hunch was right.

"What's your name?" Yusuke asked.

"Kagome," she stated.

'Well that was brilliant,' he thought to himself, 'might be more meaningful if I knew what name to look for. Actually, why am I trying to be tactful anyways? Okay I'm going for it.'

"You're in love with Koenma," he said, fully ready to duck and cover. He got the impression from Koenma that the woman he loved would have every reason to be bitter.

To his relief and confusion she started laughing again. After a few moments she said, "I said you had great observational skills but I had no idea how right that comment was. I'm impressed. It's starting to get dark. Please, stay here for the night and I will show you some ways to improve your spiritual awareness. We can then head back to Master Genkai's temple in the morning," she said as she stood and walked out of the building towards her training area.

"Why would I care about increasing my awareness? Hey! Don't change the subject, you didn't answer me. Get back here!" Yusuke said as he raced after the woman's retreating form.

&&Scene Change&&

They walked through the city in comfortable silence. It was early in the morning and the dawn was just breaking. Yusuke, lost in thought, turned his head to study the woman beside him. It had been an interesting night in which he learned a newfound respect for the Kuwabara siblings' natural gift.

Yusuke was puzzled over the feelings he was experiencing. He had never been one to listen to any authority but he found himself eager for her to give the next set of instructions as they trained together last night. She made him feel like a child that was loved and for some weird reason it didn't bother him. He realized as he studied her that nothing about her could bother him. They did bicker a lot but it was all in fun, almost as if they were siblings. Yusuke had quickly discovered that although she was 26 years in age she had a heart of a child.

Yusuke dreaded going back to Genkai's. He was never able to get Kagome to discuss Koenma but he knew she was the one because her eyes were like windows to her soul and those windows told him that Koenma had brought her a lot of pain. He found himself wanting to protect her. Although he knew how Koenma felt and that he would never purposely hurt her, he also knew this was going to be like rubbing salt into an open wound. He could only hope that the end result didn't kill the innocence inside of Kagome that he was finding himself so drawn too.

&&Scene Change&&

Koenma was the first to notice Yusuke's return. He was in the middle of a discussion with Kurama as the others relaxed around the room when he felt an aura that he knew better than his own. It stunned him so badly that he stopped mid-sentence and went pale. Kurama was about to ask if he was okay when Koenma changed from his chibi form back into his adult self.

"Sir/ Lord Koenma!" George and Botan both gasped in unison. Koenma never changed forms in front of people.

"Something… unusual is approaching the temple with Urameshi," Kuwabara then said.

When Botan felt it she whispered, "Kagome," as her eyes filled with tears.

Kurama, Hiei, and Genkai then sensed Yusuke and the other presence with him and agreed with Kuwabara that it felt unusual. Everyone watched the entrance of the temple for Yusuke and the mystery person to come in view.

Yusuke was the first to come into view, closely followed by a beautiful young woman. When they got close to the group Yusuke said, "Guys, this is Kagome. She has the ability to activate the sacred objects of Gaia but she'll need some help. I'm not qualified enough to be trained in this art but you are Kuwabara so I hope you're a fast learner. Go ahead Kagome, make yourself known."

Kagome walked and stood in front of Yukina before stating, "You are from fire and ice."

Taken by surprise Yukina stumbled over her words, "Yes…I…I mean…"

Kagome reached her hand out and put it under Yukina chin to get her to look at her and said, "Relax, I don't bite. I just wanted to say you are beautiful and special because you are rare. Never forget that, little one, and never give up hope."

She then turned to Kido, Kaito, Yanagishawa, and Mitarai. "Don't let your gifts make you forget you're human but also don't let humanity make you forget you're gifted. It's a delicate walk, don't ever allow yourself to get to cocky."

Kayko was next, "You are very strong in the ways Yusuke needs. You'll do fine, just make sure you keep him in line," as she said the last part she turned to Yusuke and winked at him, which caused him to start laughing.

While looking at Kuwabara she spoke to Shizuru, "I hope you won't mind me borrowing your brother for awhile."

"Just return him in better condition than when you take him," was Shizuru's monotone reply.

She walked and stood in front of Hiei and studied him for a minute before flicking her eyes slightly towards Yukina. Kurama and Yusuke sucked in a breath while Hiei's hand instinctually went to his sword. "It's rare to see a jagan so old on one so young," was all she said before she turned to Kurama. She only smiled at him before making her way to Genkai.

"I see you have seals around your property. I'd like to place stronger barriers, if that is okay with you," she asked with a respectful bow of her head.

"It would be much appreciated," was Genkai's response.

Finally she reached Koenma, Botan, and George. "Botan, George, it's good to see you both again". I hope you've been well. Koenma, stop thinking so much; it's much better to relax than worry."

After making her version of introductions an introduction and one last look at Genkai for permission she took charge.

"Yusuke, I need you go to this address for me and bring back the man who lives there," Kagome said while handing him a piece of paper.

"Hey, wait a minute but I just walked up here…" Yusuke whined.

"And now you have the honor of walking back down," was Kagome's sweet reply, much to Genkai amusement.

As Yusuke turned and started his walk back down the stairs Kagome turned her attention to Kuwabara. "Are you okay with me training you?"

"As long as I don't have to fight you," Kuwabara responded. Kagome just smiled and reassured him the he would not have to.

"Then we will start now with putting up a stronger barrier around Master Genkai's property. It will be fairly easy for me to teach you how since you can already make a dimension-cutting sword." With that Kagome and Kuwabara went outside.

Once out of sight, everyone turned his or her attention to Koenma, "Is she the one fated to be your mate?" Genkai asked.

"Yes, but this doesn't change anything. It's a difficult situation so do me a favor and don't get any ideas," Koenma said before walking off in the opposite direction that Kagome went.

&&Scene Change&&

It was lunchtime by the time Yusuke returned with the man Kagome sent him to fetch. Yusuke could feel tension in the air as they approached the area that they usually ate their meals. They found Kagome, Kayko, Yukina, and Botan preparing the table for lunch while the others were lounging around the room waiting. Koenma was leaning against a wall talking with Shizuru and Kurama while obviously trying not to look at Kagome.

As they entered the room, Kagome stood up and walked towards the man who was just a few years older then Yusuke saying, "Sota! I'm so glad you came. How is my sweet, precious little brother doing? You know you're the best brother a sister can have." By the time she finished she was in front of him giving him a hug.

"Oh, no. I know that tone! That's your 'I'm going to ask you a favor that I'm going to hate doing' tone!" Sota exclaimed.

"Now, now, Sota, no need to get dramatic on me. I just need you to deliver three little letters for me and look, I even packed food for your trip," Kagome said as she walked over and picked up a bag, while Sota studied the letters.

"Sesshomaru, Shippo, and Koga? But they're each in like opposite ends of the demon realm!" Sota said to his sister with his eyes wide.

"Now Sota, if you don't have the discipline to do this little request for your sister, I can always up your training," Kagome said innocently.

"Oh no no no no. That's quite all right, I assure you. See I'm going. Going, going – you know what? I'm already gone," Sota said as he hurried quickly out of the temple with the food bag in hand. The display had most of the group laughing but the amusement didn't last long.

"Sesshomaru, Shippo, and Koga!" Koenma yelled as he stepped forward and faced Kagome, "You were almost tried and executed for treason because of them and you still keep in contact with them?"

"They are my family! By the time you and your father were done with me, family was all I had left. Don't you dare try to make me feel bad for staying in touch with those who truly care about me? What right do you have?" Kagome yelled back.

"Why are you here?" Koenma asked in a stone cold voice.

"Because if your father decides to do as he pleases it will be my family who will be the first to suffer. I am here to make sure you become king – no more, no less – because that's what's in the best interest of the living world. I am not asking your permission to help; I'm giving it if you like it or not because I know you need me," with that shouted Kagome swiftly walked out of the room.

"Difficult indeed," was Shizuru comment, while everyone else tried to figure out why Koenma just did that but Yusuke could see not even Koenma knew himself.


	10. Chapter 9:Kagome’s Reflections

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 9: Kagome's Reflections

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

None of it mattered though. Koenma was not complete; he had made sure personally that he couldn't be and he did all he could to make sure he never would be.

Chapter 9: Kagome's Reflections

A man and woman watched the events in the living world unfold on their screen in stunned silence. Eventually the man turned to the woman and said, "Unbelievable, simply unbelievable. I can't believe Koenma just did that! Please tell me that this was a part of your plan."

"Well, uh no," the woman replied as she shrugged her shoulders.

"You mean you had no idea he was going to do something this incredibly stupid?" the man questioned skeptically.

"No I didn't! Demigods are way too unpredictable and it makes my job way harder than it has to be. If I didn't know you were on my side on this, I would swear this was your fault," the woman said as she studied him.

"Now my dear Fate, you know I want Kagome to be happy as much as you do and that I'm quite mad that Koenma is trying to steal my job. Only I should be allowed to tempt you," the man said.

"Well hopefully this will not delay our plans for too long. Let's just watch for now and see what happens," the woman said as she leaned back against the man.

"As you wish, my dear," the man said as his hands began to move.

"Pervert!" the woman screamed as she slapped the man across his face and stormed out of the room. A man with long black hair, who was walking down the hall, heard the woman's cry and watched her rush out of the room. He took a moment to look inside to see the man unconscious on the floor.

He sighed, "The lecher will never learn."

&&Scene Change&&

Kagome walked outside and into the surrounding forest. She didn't allow herself to cry until she found a relatively secluded spot where she was sure no one was going to find her. Soon after, Kirara and Karan came to her and snuggled close to comfort her. Petting her beloved demon cats soothed her angst soul and she soon lapsed into thought. It had been four years ago when her brother, who was still a junior in high school came to her with an interesting story.

_Flashback_

Kagome was pleasantly surprised when she saw her brother making his way up to her temple. It was the middle of the week and it was unusual for him to make the journey when there was school to go to the next day. She would have been worried that something might have happened to mother or grandfather but he could have called her so she could have went to him and she sensed he was in an excited mood.

"Greetings, little brother, what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit," Kagome said with a smile and a bow.

"Hey, stop treating me so formally. You're creeping me out," Sota said with a laugh.

Kagome gently whacked him on the head before hugging him as she said, "Well don't keep me waiting. Why are you here? Let me guess there's a beautiful transfer student…"

"No, no, nothing like that really!" Sota said, breaking their embrace and then proceeded to drag her inside to sit down.

After sitting down, Kagome watched her brother as she eagerly waited for him to explain, "Okay, there is this boy named Yusuke Urameshi from Sarayashiki Junior High School who is a real punk. Even the high school tough guys are scared of him. You wouldn't believe the kind of rumors going on about him, it's ridiculous. Anyways, a few weeks ago he died saving a kid from getting hit by a car. The boy died at the scene of the accident and yet he is now walking around, alive," Sota paused to gauge see his sister's reaction.

"He was resurrected? Only Koenma could do something like that. Do you think…?" Kagome said, getting lost in thought.

Sota continued before his sister's thoughts went back to dark times. "It gave me that notion as well so I decided to track him down and investigate. This boy Yusuke is definitely the next spirit detective. I saw him with Botan and as I followed him I got to see him fight. Koenma's got a huge problem on his hand at the moment. Seems the spirit world vault has been looted and the artifacts of darkness have been stolen."

"That's really not good. If they can't get them back it will give King Yama a reason to attack the living world," Kagome said very troubled.

"Don't worry; I really think it'll be fine, Kagome. Yusuke already recovered two artifacts and is looking for the third. A demon by the name of Hiei has the shadow sword but, from what I've seen, Yusuke will be able to handle him even if he is new. Come on we can go track him down to see how he handles himself. That way if I'm wrong and he does fail we can step in," Sota said, standing up and reaching out a hand to pull his sister up.

_End Flashback_

That day had truly been interesting. The fight with Hiei told Kagome many things but the fact most important to her heart was that Yusuke was indeed the next spirit detective and her key to being able to track Koenma's movements. So she started watching Yusuke and the rest of his mismatched team. It became her obsession much to Sesshomaru's annoyance and Shippo's amusement. The only one who truly understood her enough was her brother and he helped her in any way he was able.

Her favorite part about observing them was their interactions with each other. They balanced each other out, making them a perfect team. Hiei was the antagonist that kept them close to reality, Kurama the voice of wisdom, Kuwabara innocents and honor, while Yusuke held them altogether. From the first time they fought together against the Saint Beast's they fell into this mode.

Then it was time for them to compete in the dark tournament. She was amazed by how much each of them grew in power in that short amount of time. Of course the only time Sesshomaru had decided to drop in to witness the fights was around when Kuwabara fought Shishi Wakamaru. When he finally left he had Shippo and Sota in tears from laughter over his rant on her foolishness of wanting to train someone like Kuwabara someday and his thoughts of Koenma's choice for the defense of the human realm.

When Genkai died she was so angry that the Tuguro's team almost died before they made it to the ring but she knew it was none of her business. Genkai had the right to settle her past in the way she thought best and besides, when Team Urameshi won she knew what their wish would be.

Kagome was annoyed at Koenma's antics over not fighting. Why couldn't he just tell them he was forbidden to use his spirit energy without permission? Did he really have to go so far out of his way to make the rest of the team think he was weak? She then watched the fight with Yusuke and Toguro in a daze after hearing the deal Koenma made with Sakyo. Sota sat with his arm wrapped around her in a futile attempt to keep her calm.

Team Urameshi of course won and time moved on and then there was the reappearance of Sensui. With the threat of Sensui opening a portal to allow demons into the human world she had been unable to observe Yusuke and Koenma. She instead spent her time in the demon realm preparing with Sesshomaru, Shippo, and Koga a way to stop any of the demons from being able to pass through if Yusuke and his gang failed.

Kagome was aware of what Koenma might do to prevent Sensui from achieving his goal because he had shared with her his guilt over not knowing Sensui would respond in such a way to the black-black club's actions and sending him on the mission in the first place. She could only hope that Yusuke would be able to handle the situation and that it would not come to that because she knew his father would gladly give Koenma permission to seal Sensui. King Yama knew that Koenma would seal himself with Sensui and he could be rid of Koenma and Sensui in that one move. She knew but there was nothing she could do about it. She had to focus on what would happen if they failed.

Once the barrier breach was big enough for them to be able to find it they stationed themselves near enough to watch its progress.

_Flashback_

Kagome stared as the swarms of low class demons fought their way closer to the opening. They were like vicious animals fighting each other for an inch of space closer to the opening. Higher, more evolved demons could be sensed around the area bidding their time for they knew enough not to rush into things. The impatient ones would be the sacrifice to judge when it would be safe to precede. Sesshomaru, Shippo, Koga, and Kagome watched in disgust.

"Filth, they are a disgrace to demons," Sesshomaru said.

"Are we really planning to just stand here? Shouldn't we start clearing them out? If the barrier is broken they will get into the human realm!" Kagome asked impatiently.

"I will not waste my time fighting such weaklings," was Sesshomaru response.

"Besides, Kagome, we don't know how much King Yama can see in this realm. We don't want to give our position away if it is unnecessary," Shippo told her gently as he placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

Kagome was going to shout about how sick she was of her safety always being used as an excuse when Sesshomaru spoke again, "Of course this would not be an issue at all if some female would hand over my father's swords." Kagome looked at him and could see he was teasing her.

In theory Sesshomaru should be able to use the Tetsusaiga now that he had spent so much time caring for the descendents of Rin and Kohaku, Miroku and Sango, and Inuyasha and Kikyo. He was the leader of an informal tribe that consisted of humans and demons in both the human and demon realms and was very protective and possessive of them all. This theory has never been tested since it was decided that both the Tetsusaiga and the Tenseiga should be set apart with the stuff left for Kagome to find in the future.

"That stuff was given to me and is rightfully mine. I see no reason why I should give them to you," Kagome told him with a smile that showed she had no remorse over the issue. This caused Sesshomaru to give a small chuckle. In reality he had no desire for the swords and was happy with where the swords were at but it was a long standing joke with those who remembered the times he had tried to take the Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha.

Soon they felt a great amount to energy coming from the other side of the hole that Kagome recognized as Koenma's and realized he was attempting to form a barrier. Kagome's heart filled with fear and had to be restrained by Sesshomaru to be kept from doing anything stupid. She calmed down when she felt the barrier had not been completed but also worried about the reason why.

Some time passed and then Hiei's dragon of the darkness flame was sensed when it hit the barrier and dissipated. A short time after, Sensui came through followed by three very angry people out for revenge. Koga was impressed with their ability to fight so well when their hearts were so full of rage. They were able to watch the fight because as soon as the barrier broke Sesshomaru, Koga, and Shippo made their power known to the demons in the area and the fate that would await them if they tried to pass into the human realm. Fear was a wonderful and easy tool to use on the weak that they had no interest in fighting.

When Yusuke came through on Puu with Koenma, Kagome was shocked. She could sense that Yusuke's life energy had changed and couldn't understand why it suddenly felt demonic.

"He's Mazoku," she heard Shippo whisper in awe.

"He's what?" Kagome asked.

Koga was the one to explain, "Mazoku is one of the few kinds of demons that are different when it comes to breeding with humans. Instead of the blood mixing with the human blood where the demon blood would always threaten for control like Inuyasha, the demon blood acts like a dormant gene. It will stay dormant until a descendent is strong enough to handle the demon blood and then something has to activate it like, the most customary way being death.

"But Yusuke died before and nothing like this happened," Kagome said.

"He wasn't strong enough then to activate the gene but he must have died again or something else must have happened to cause this change," Koga explained.

"So even if he is Mazoku is he still counted as a half breed?" Kagome asked. When she saw Koga nod she continued, "Then King Yama will not be pleased about this. We better keep a closer eye on Koenma and Yusuke because you know Koenma will not turn his back on a spirit detective." This was silently agreed on and they watched the rest of the battle in quiet contemplation.

_End Flashback_

So she had watched and continued to watch even after Yusuke had been discharged as spirit detective. She watched and waited for the time for her to step out of hiding and back to the side of the man she loved. He needed her help if he felt like he deserved it or not and Kagome planned on giving him what he needed no matter what he said to her or how he treated her.

&&Scene Change&&

King Yama looked at the screens that showed him what was happening in different parts of the living world. He could care less about what he was seeing but it was what he was not seeing that agitated him. His son had been able to hide his tracks well. He could blame himself for this but he preferred to blame the counsel since it was their strong 'suggestion' that put Koenma in charge of the direct dealing with the living world. Koenma knew the working of the spirit world a hundred times more than King Yama had ever cared to learn. This was mainly because Koenma was the one to design and execute the system of running spirit world after the barrier was put in place. These reasons and more had made it quite easy for Koenma to disappear, leaving King Yama without a trace or a hope of finding him.

Blaming the counsel was an excuse though and King Yama knew it. He just had to admit that his son was incredibly bright and resourceful – qualities that usually would make any father proud but this was no ordinary situation. Koenma had always played with his cards close to his chest and he was winning this round flawlessly. King Yama had tried many things to make sure he wouldn't lose so much control when he decided to finally get rid of Koenma but it seemed his planning was in vain.

He hated to admit it but Koenma had made a very efficient system for such an over abundant workload and he had succeeded in messing it up with his execution. All files on cases that might have helped him in his search for his son were destroyed and Koenma had only allowed those loyal to him to work on them. All, if any, information King Yama had on any of the former spirit detectives and their associates was either out of date or plain wrong. He had never considered that Koenma would dare lie to him but he could now see he had misjudged how much his son had feared him.

None of it mattered though. Koenma was not complete; he had made sure personally that he couldn't be and he did all he could to make sure he never would. He would find Koenma soon because he knew the only option left to him was to try to contact the counsel. What Koenma didn't know is that his special defense force had the power to terminate such a meeting and, when they did, Koenma's position would be known. Then death would become the least of their worries.

&&Scene Change&&

The afternoon soon fell into evening and Kagome was still sitting in her hiding place thinking. That is where Kurama found her after a long search. He stood there a moment and studied her until finally Kagome turned to face him.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you it was impolite to stare?" Kagome snapped at him.

"Yes, I believe she tried to but I never did listen to what she tried to teach me," Kurama responded.

"Why are you here?" Kagome asked. She did not like the mischievous look in his eyes. It reminded her too much of Shippo and she was not in the mood.

"Everyone is looking for you. You have been gone for hours and Koenma is desperate to apologize. Although I could not say which reason is stronger: his personal remorse or the idea of Yusuke doing the things he has been threatening him with all afternoon. You seem to have already won yourself a very unique place in Yusuke's heart," Kurama explained.

"I didn't mean to make anyone worry. I guess I'm just so use to being alone that I didn't even consider what everyone might think about me hiding," Kagome said as she tried to stand up only to fall forward. Kurama stepped quickly to catch her. "I guess my legs are asleep from sitting so long," Kagome said laughing as Kurama gently sat her back down.

"Yes I can see that," Kurama said with a smile as he sat down next to her. Kagome started to stretch in an attempt to return circulation back to her toes.

After a minute of watching her, Kurama asked a question as he pointed, "What are those?"

Kagome laughed as Karan growled a little over being referred to disrespectfully, "These are my faithful demon cats. The one growling here is Karan and the one sleeping and purposely ignoring you is Kirara."

"I see," Kurama said, then paused a moment before continuing, "Tell me, do you know Hiei's secret?"

"Yes I do and you can tell him that I have no intention of telling Yukina about it unless it causes her harm. It's something he must deal with on his own," Kagome responded.

"Good I have been trying to push him in this direction as well and I was worried my work might have been in vain," Kagome looked at him and smiled before returning her concentration on her stretches, "and what is it that you think of me Lady Kagome?"

His question caught her off guard and she pulled her knees to her chin and studied him in response, "I ask this because I can't read your thoughts even though you seem so open. This confuses me and…" Kurama stopped when he sensed Koenma approaching. When he spotted Koenma his suspicions were confirmed that his presence with Kagome was not welcomed but he has not going to leave Kagome alone with Koenma after what happened this afternoon. There was just something about Kagome that reached out and touched those around her, causing a desire to want to protect her from all harm.

Koenma ignored Kurama and spoke directly to Kagome, "Kagome we need to talk."

&&Please Review&&


	11. Chapter 10: No Need for Apologies

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 10: No Need for Apologies

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Note: Sorry for taking so long to post.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

The past is the past. There is nothing that can be done to change it unless there are other wells I don't know about so why worry about it?

Chapter 10: No Need for Apologies

Koenma walked around and pretended to search for Kagome. He had no need to actually try since he could sense her. She had her energy masked but as a demi-god he had a more heightened spiritual awareness that enabled him to sense more then the former spirit detective team. The pretense was for his sake so he could try to sort through his jumbled emotions without Yusuke laying into him again. Koenma knew he needed to apologize and he really wanted to but wasn't sure how because he wasn't sure why he was acting the way he was. Koenma was only sure of one thing and that was he had made her cry. He could feel her sadness and he cursed himself for being the cause.

No, he needed to stop lying to himself. He knew why and it was because he was jealous. All these years they had been taking care of his mate while he was unable to do anything but make her family's records disappear.

&&_Flashback_&&

Koenma felt numb as he walked towards the counsel. He had been looking through the latest report from demon realm when Botan informed him that his father was bringing Kagome in and was planning to put her on trial. He wanted to rush to her side, stand up to his father, and take her away to safety like in all those lame movies but Koenma knew that there was much more at stake here than just the life of his mate. If he did that he would anger his father and cause judgment to fall on the living realm and since he would then be considered an enemy there would be nothing to stop King Yam. He had to stay calm and logical because his duties to the lives in the living world must come first.

If only he was completed this would not be a problem because she would then become off limits even to his father. He needed to become complete so all this would stop and he wouldn't have to choose, but how? What was the key to completion? Koenma did not know. It was a highly guarded secret even to those who would go through the process because knowledge of it would interfere. It wasn't anything simple like a kiss because that would go against the law that his kind cannot have any intimate touch with their mates until after the completion. Was it an emotion or an event? What was it?

Kagome… no he couldn't let this happen, he had to step in…but the living world. His emotions raged within him, getting louder and stronger the closer he got to his destination. The voice in his head yelling to save Kagome was winning when Koenma turned a corner and saw the Kami of Redemption, the brother of Fate, leaning on the wall staring in his direction as if he was waiting for him. Koenma felt strangely intimidated by the kami and had a hard time meeting his stare.

When Koenma was almost up to him the kami spoke, "It will be handled. You will do nothing because there's nothing to do."

This caused Koenma to stop and look directly into the kami's eyes, "This is Kagome yet you want me to do nothing?" he said sternly.

"Fate and Protection are in control here. Your interference would only cause greater harm. You will do nothing," the kami said before leaving quickly in a matter that left no doubt he was a demon hunter in life.

"Do nothing?" Koenma said to himself before continuing on his way. He entered the trial area and saw Kagome in the middle of the room on her knees with her hands bound behind her back. His heart ached to see her like that.

Kagome turned her head and looked straight at him. He could see her emotions were as conflicted as much as his. She wanted him to save her but she knew what that would mean for the living world. He wanted to save her. Do nothing. No, he couldn't just sit here. Do nothing. No.

Then the choice was taken out of his hands. The Kami of Protection known during life as Inuyasha put a stop to the proceeding and then she was gone.

&&_end Flashback_&&

It was irrational but he was jealous. He was jealous that it was Inuyasha that saved her and not him. That it was those demons that have watched over her the last few years and again not him.

He turned to walk in the direction he had been avoiding for most of the day. It was time for him to talk to Kagome. He may be a demi-god but he was going to have to get over himself to fix this. She was right after all. He needed her and no one but her.

As he walked closer to where he knew Kagome was hiding he heard something that made him realize he was going to have to deal with another problem. Kurama was making her laugh. Rational or not, Kurama suddenly seemed like an enemy but then jealousy has never been rational.

He approached them trying to ignore certain violent thoughts and spoke directly to Kagome, "Kagome we need to talk."

"Yes we do but after I finish my discussion with Kurama," Kagome stated directly but with kindness.

"No we can finish this at a later time," Kurama said. He knew he was on unstable ground.

"Okay then could you please stop the search for me and tell everyone we will come inside in awhile?" Kagome asked.

"I don't think…" Kurama started but Kagome cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"Go, please. We need to talk alone. It will be fine," Kagome said.

"Alright," Kurama responded before walking back towards the temple.

&&Scene Change&&

Kagome was the first to speak after a few moments of silence, "I'm sorry I really shouldn't have said that you were responsible. I don't really believe that."

"You're sorry? I'm the one who was acting like a complete jerk," Koenma said surprised.

"Yes you were but you're forgiven, now let's move on," Kagome said with a wave of her hand.

"I'm forgiven? How can you just…" Koenma started before Kagome cut him off.

"The past is the past. There is nothing that can be done to change it unless there are other wells I don't know about so why worry about it?" Kagome said with a smile.

"O…Okay then… now what?" Koenma said confused. He expected to be groveling by now.

"For now we do nothing. At least where we are concerned. Since we have no idea how completion actually works we should focus on things that can be controlled like getting you that meeting with the kami counsel," Kagome said in a way that told him she thought this was the most obvious thing in the world. She wasn't mad or at least not showing it. Koenma's soul suddenly felt lighter and he decided if she could act like everything had always been fine he could do the same.

"Yusuke told me about his meeting with you. I suppose it is because of Shippo that you seem to have become a master of illusions?" Koenma asked teasingly.

Kagome laughed and said, "Yeah, he set traps in the surrounding forest to keep unwanted people out and test those coming in. He also taught me enough to hide my appearance. It's not that great though because anyone with high enough spiritual awareness can see right through it but since you sent Yusuke I just had to have some fun."

Koenma for the first time in days laughed. Kagome then continued, "Can we please go inside now so I can explain where I sent my baby brother and what I think we should be doing or are you going to go all crazy again when I mention certain demons?"

He gave her a small smile before saying, "I'll try to control my temper and not make a fool out of myself but I make no promises." Kagome gave an exasperated sigh before turning to signal her demon cats to follow them back inside.

&&Scene Change&&

When they got inside they found everyone gathered together waiting. Yusuke looked over Kagome as if he was looking for signs of damage. When he saw that she was smiling Yusuke relaxed. This greatly annoyed Koenma and he was about to say something when Kagome gave him a look that stopped him.

"Okay here's the deal. I use to travel back into time to before the barrier was put up and I met a lot of people, both humans and demons. I could tell you my whole story but that would take too much time at the moment so this is what you need to know. I met three demons that are still alive today and are very powerful. I sent my brother to them to inform them on what is happening here and to be prepared for our group to be coming into their territories," Kagome explained.

"What are these demons names?" Yukina asked.

"Their names are Koga, Shippo or Sesshomaru," Kagome answered.

"I've never heard of demons named Koga, Shippo or Sesshomaru. How strong can they be?" Hiei asked skeptically.

"Stronger than anything you guys have encountered. The reason you haven't heard of them is they don't care enough to make themselves known," Kagome responded.

"Sesshomaru? Is he the son of the great dog demon of the former western lands?" Kurama asked.

"Yep that's him. His territory is the western part of the demon realm. Shippo's is to the north and Koga's to the south. We will be going to them because each controls a sacred object of Gaia. They use them to create a barrier around their territory and, though I would have no trouble getting through it, the rest of you would so it would just be a lot easier if they were expecting us," Kagome explained.

Seeing that everyone understood, she continued, "As for the human world I only know of one sacred object of Gaia's location and that is because my family owns the shrine that it is located at. So while I train Kuwabara I need the rest of you, excluding Koenma, Botan and George, to find the other two. Will this be okay?"

She waited for everyone to give their agreement before saying, "Good. Kuwabara lets go. We will train through the night." They started to walk out but Kagome stopped and said one more thing, "Please no interruptions unless it's urgent or if it's to tell me when my brother has returned."

&&Scene Change&&

The next morning they decided to divide themselves into teams to go in search of the remaining sacred objects of Gaia. Kagome and Kuwabara had not been seen since the night before so they assumed they were still training.

Hiei went off on his own so it was decided he would be considered his own team. They decided the rest of the teams would be: Genkai and Mitarai, Kurama and Shizuru, Yusuke and Kayko, and Kido, Kaito, and Yanagishawa. Yukina decided to remain at the temple and wait for Kuwabara. With this decided they left to once again begin their search.

&&Please Review&&


	12. Chapter 11: First Steps

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 11: First Steps

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

Just let go and listen because nature is whispering her secrets in your ears. That is the first step.

Chapter 11: First Steps

Training with Kagome was an experience like no other. In fact Kuwabara couldn't think of a word to describe it but then again…no never mind, it was not honorable for a student to think of his teacher as… aggravatingly slow.

"The key to controlling your spiritual awareness is understanding that balance is the law that controls the world around you," she had explained hours before, "When you get a weird vibe it is because your spiritual awareness is picking up an imbalance. Balance is apart of everything. All you have to do is open your eyes and see it. Consider things such as: is light truly light if it does not have darkness to cut through? And can darkness exist apart from the light? Can a person truly understand the value of life if they do not understand how easily death can come to them? Can someone know what truly is good if they do not have evil to compare it with?"

Kuwabara thought on these words as he meditated in the center of the training area. Kagome sat off to the side quietly studying him as if she was waiting for something. He was getting frustrated with what he considered slow progress. Wait…progress? Didn't there need to be some kind of movement to even be considered slow progress? When he couldn't take it anymore he stood silently and turned facing Kagome. He just stood there and watched her a few moments until she spoke.

"You are not approaching this right. You're too use to fighting and training that involves your fist and bloodshed," she said with a sigh, "A person is made up of more then just flesh. There is also the mind, the spirit, and the soul. There are battles to be fought on every level and you must use the appropriate weapons for each battleground. Physical might only matters on a physical battleground. Your physical strength will not help you with matters of spiritual awareness. You need to let go of what you think you know."

"Okay…that kind of made sense but why did you wait until now to explain that to me?" Kuwabara asked suspiciously, not bothering to cover his annoyance.

Kagome studied him with a hint of secret amusement before saying, "I'm here only to guide you through this. If I had told you sooner you wouldn't have understood because you were not ready to listen. It is only yourself that's holding you back. I cannot guide someone who is not willing to be lead down an unfamiliar path. Just let go and listen because nature is whispering her secrets in your ears. That is the first step."

With that said, Kuwabara sat back down to continue his meditation with Kagome's new words in mind. It didn't take too much longer for it to finally click and he could hear, or rather feel, the force of balance around him. It was already after midnight but it was finally time for his training to truly begin.

&&Scene Change&&

By the time dawn approached Kagome was very relieved to know she had not misjudged Kuwabara. Once he had figured out how to look beyond the physical he improved in leaps and bounds and was very close to having a good handle on what he needed to know to activate the sacred objects of Gaia. In comparison to what he could learn and eventually master, this technique was fairly simple since all it involves is being able to see the life and spirit flow of the object and using your own spirit power to manipulate it.

It was still impressive though that Kuwabara could learn so much in a single night. The only tricky part that had Kagome concerned is if he would be able to manipulate without tipping the flow of balance which could only be learned with practice but Kagome could see Kuwabara had a natural instinct when it came to reading how balance is achieved in different things. It all came down to being able to control his mind and spiritual awareness which is why so much meditation was needed.

Kuwabara slowly began to stand up as he stretched out his stiff limbs. Kagome could see that the sleep depravation was starting to catch up to him but they could not rest yet. Six more hours and she was sure he would be ready. Then they could rest to prepare for the actual activation. For now a change of scenery would just have to do.

"Let's go for a walk," Kagome said, getting Kuwabara's attention. "It's time to put what you have been learning into particle use. We will go find a sick tree or animal and see if you can figure out how to heal it."

"I can heal things?" Kuwabara asked in wonder as his mind drifted to Yukina.

"Sickness and injuries are imbalances to the natural process of things. It is as simple as seeing what the imbalance is and using your spirit energy to correct it. This is what all healers do; they just can't see it like we can. The same method can be applied to fighting too but that would involve a more thorough training," Kagome said as she led them into the surrounding forest.

"Can I have a more thorough training?" Kuwabara asked a little unsure.

"If you want to learn more once this crisis is over it would be my honor to teach you," she answered, making Kuwabara relax.

"Of course I have trained with the strongest of demons and humans. The training you go through with me will make anything you heard Yusuke has gone through look like a day at an amusement park," she said as she gave Kuwabara a side look.

He stopped in his tracks with a look of horror before catching the amusement in Kagome's eyes. He then said with a smile, "As long as it doesn't involve anything like sleeping with snakes I'm fine with that."

It was Kagome's turn to stop, "She made him sleep with snakes?"

&&Scene Change&&

Hiei made his way quickly over trees, roof tops, and anything else in his way. He decided that since he was the quickest of the group it would make the most sense if he started his search the furthest away.

When he reached his destination he stopped and spied around to see the shrine was relatively crowded today. This suited Hiei just find since it would make it that much easier to slip around without the keeper noticing his presence. He usually wouldn't even entertain the notion that a human would be able to detect him much less harm him but since this involved sacred objects there was always the chance he could run into someone with enough holy powers to purify him. He shuddered at the thought of what the others would say if he got himself killed by some aged priest. It was assured that it would be a hundred times worse then when he recklessly got his soul taken by Kaito.

He opened his jagan eye and searched the area for any sign of holy energy that could be a sacred object of Gaia. Finding nothing he recovered his eye and started looking around since he was not completely sure if his jagan eye would be able to sense it.

The shrine was not that big so it didn't take him every long. When he was about to leave he spotted what he assumed was the keeper of the shrine. He was standing by the gift shop holding up what he was claiming to be the bones from a demon. He was telling a story that ended with "if you buy this..."

Hiei wrinkled his nose in disgust, "Fools," he said before leaving at top speed towards the next shrine. He was not sure what annoyed him the most: the shrine keeper's story or the fool hearted people who bought into his lies. What he was sure of was if this was what he was going to have to be around all day it was going to be a very long day. He had good reasons for not liking the majority of the human race.

&&Scene Change&&

One of the advantages of living among humans for most of your life is the ability to detect a scam fairly easy and the first shrine that Yusuke and Kayko went to was definitely a scam. Yusuke was pretty sure that it would be a safe bet that the keeper wouldn't even know how to make a fake ofuda much less have any actual spiritual awareness.

If Yusuke had it his way they would have just done a quick check and been on their merry way but instead he was in a smelly old room reading over dusty old scrolls with Kayko. He had to admit Kayko was right on the money about this. She had suggested they ask to look at any ancient texts that the shrine might have kept that had been passed down through the generations. Just because this present generation knew nothing the shrine was still quite old and could have once been run by legitimate priests and priestesses.

As Yusuke looked through the scrolls he could tell she was right and the people who had written them had to have known what they were talking about. The only question was would any of them help them on their search? Any help would be better than none since they were just searching blindly at the moment.

Yusuke took a moment to study Kayko as she intently studied the scroll in front of her. He had no problem admitting that Kayko was usually right about these kinds of things. It was one of the reasons he loved her and why they were so well matched. He had the street wisdom and she had the book smarts. He was powerful but prideful and she was kind with great understanding. They were Yin and Yang.

Then a thought occurred to him that made his heart feel heavy. Their wedding was coming up soon. Kayko shouldn't be here worrying about trying to find a way to dethrone a psychotic king. She should be making wedding arrangements like the color of the bridesmaid dresses or how she is going to make Yukina look more human since she was the maid of honor. This wasn't right and yet she hadn't said anything about it to him. She just silently supported him almost as if she had accepted that battle would always be a part of him and that he would never be normal.

She was definitely one of a kind and once this was all over he was going to make sure she was always his. With this thought he stood up and walked behind Kayko and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder so he could see what she was reading.

"You've been staring at that scroll pretty intensely, did you find something?" Yusuke questioned.

"Maybe, it's talking about a tree that's holy powers keeps evil spirits from approaching it and that its bark can cure diseases. If I understand this right I think its talking about the shrine that is on the other side of town," Kayko answered as she looked up at Yusuke.

Yusuke gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head before letting her go and grabbing her hand. "Prefect lets get out of here before the old man comes back and starts trying to sell us stuff," he said as he lead her outside.

&&Scene Change&&

Kurama grabbed Shizuru's arm to keep her from falling as they slowly made their way down a steep hill. The third temple they went to directed them to a shrine that was deep in a near by forest that was once used for spiritual pilgrimages. It had been over a hundred years since it was closed down and the trails had long since grown over.

Soon the trees started to thin out and they came to an old shrine. It was in great need of repair and some of the building roofs had caved in from fallen trees but the most prominent feature was a very large tree in the center that had a very faint glow to it. It felt warm and inviting and seemed to bring a sense of peace to the surrounding land.

Shizuru approached it and put a hand on the trunk. She then leaned forward and rested on the trunk. Then she let out a small laugh, "It feels like Kagome," she said as she turned, resting her back on the tree, to look a Kurama.

"Really, how is that?" Kurama asked as he stepped closer to also touch the tree.

"Not sure. It just does," was Shizuru's answer.

Kurama nodded, "This tree is very old. It is rare to find something this ancient in the human realm. Humans have a tendency to destroy things before they have a chance to live a full life."

"Well then, I guess we can head back now. If this isn't it I don't know what would be," Shizuru said, pushing away form the tree. Kurama silently followed but not before taking the time to look over the tree one more time. He felt a bit of sadness about leaving the tranquility of the shrine.

&&Scene Change&&

Koenma sat resting as he listened to the sounds of Botan, Yukina, and George playing cards. He decided to use this time to store more of his energy while Kagome and Kuwabara slept. It felt like a strange dream to know she was resting so close to him. It had been about two hours since they had come out of their isolation and her words echoed around in his head.

_&&Flashback&&_

"He is ready. Allow us to sleep until morning and we will be prepared to move out if the others have been successful in finding the two other objects of Gaia," she had stopped to tell him as Kuwabara went ahead.

"It must be hard. I can't even begin to imagine what it must feel like," Kagome said as she turned sad eyes to him.

"What feels like?" Koenma asked confused.

"Knowing tomorrow you will be one giant step closer to facing your father. The last of your family," as she said the last part she turned away and walked out of the room.

_&&End Flashback&&_

It must be hard? He wished it was. He wished he felt self loathing, great sadness. Anything at all but he didn't, he was just numb. True, he wasn't planning on killing him but it would be a battle that would result in the death in their relationship.

There. That's why he felt nothing. Koenma knew he ceased to be King Yama's son in his eyes soon after the death of his mother. He was no more than an over exalted servant. Their relationship had died a long time ago and it had been a long painful death at that. It wasn't true that he felt nothing. He felt pity for the man who had once been such a kind and wise ruler and he knew it was time to end what he had become. He could feel remorse later. There were two realms that needed his protection and that needed to come first.


	13. Chapter 12: Of Brothers and Friends

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 12: Of Brothers and Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Notes:

Nemaki – The traditional Japanese sleepwear. The robe looking thing you see girls sleeping in. Like Yusuke's ancestral mom or Kaoru from Rurouni Kenshin.

Chapter Tagline:

It was kind of ironic that three demons were the ones who wanted to protect his sister from heartache and that he was the one encouraging her to embrace it but if there is one thing that he had learned in his years as an observer is that a life without pain is in reality no life at all

Chapter 12: Of Brothers and Friends

It was almost two o'clock when Sota returned to Genkai's temple. His journey turned out to be relatively painless since he found all three demons in Sesshomaru territory but then again the journey was only one part of the ordeal. In theory he should have been able to drop the notes off and return to the living realm but since Shippo had opened the note and promptly proclaimed "Koenma" before he could sneak off it was not to be so. Instead he got the pleasure of explaining to three very powerful and very irritated demons why Kagome had reconnected with Koenma before discussing it with them.

It was not that they expected her to report every move to them. Quite the contrary, she hardly ever asked permission or told them what she was up to but this was different. This had a great possibility of ending in heartache and they did not like the idea of not being present to kill whoever was responsible because once in their opinion was enough for her. Sota explained with the utmost patience that was the very reason why she had not told them.

It was kind of ironic that three demons were the ones who wanted to protect his sister from heartache and that he was the one encouraging her to embrace it but if there is one thing that he had learned in his years as an observer is that a life without pain is in reality no life at all. How he could explain to demons that already knew this very well and make them realize they were acting like overprotective and overbearing big brothers, who looked very silly while doing so, was beyond him. So after a lot of arguing, explaining, and then sleeping Sota had enough of the demons company and decided to return to his sister.

Sota could sense that the majority of the group was gone and thought it would be reasonable to assume that his sister had them running around looking for the other sacred objects of Gaia. He could sense that the end of this ordeal was coming soon and though he could not foresee if the outcome would be what he desired he felt confident that his sister would finally be where she belonged.

&&Scene Change&&

Koenma was the first to notice Sota return and raised a hand in greeting as he entered the room. After Sota confirmed his suspicion and found out his sister was sleeping he joined the others in their card game. It wasn't too much longer until Yusuke and Kayko returned which surprised Koenma since they hadn't been gone that long.

"The second shrine we went to was a winner," Yusuke announced.

"Yes, I don't have any spiritual awareness and even I could feel that the tree at that shrine was not ordinary," Kayko added.

"Why that's wonderful!" Botan exclaimed.

Koenma nodded his head in agreement, "One more and then we will be ready."

As the day went on the others returned. First Genkai and Mitarai followed shortly by Hiei and then Kido, Kaito, and Yanagishawa. None of them had any luck but were encouraged to find out Yusuke had found one of the objects. When Kurama and Shizuru returned they informed everyone that they had found the last object. It was decided that with Kagome and Kuwabara sleeping there was nothing else that could be done until morning and that it would be wise for everyone to get as much rest as possible. So everyone made it an early night.

&&Scene Change&&

Shizuru opened her eyes and stared up in the dark room. As her eyes adjusted to her surroundings she could hear the rhythmic breathing of Kayko, Botan, and Yukina who were sleeping next to her. She did not know why she was awakened but she could tell she would not be able to fall back to sleep soon. As quietly as she could she stood and slipped out of the room and then out of the house.

The property was brightly illuminated by a full moon that caused everything to have a silver glow. She walked around lost in thought until she came to the front of the temple. She stopped when she saw Kagome leaning against a tree staring down the stairs that lead to the temple. The effect of the silver glow from the moon was amplified with the white nemaki that Kagome was wearing. Her hair was down from her usual high ponytail that Shizuru had seen her with. The whole scene seemed angelic and heavenly.

It then suddenly occurred to Shizuru what must have awoken her. When everyone went to go to bed they found that Kagome had taken the one bed in the girl's room and her brother had taken over the room including the bed that Koenma had been using. After a good laugh Koenma said that Kuwabara and Kagome need the best rest possible and promptly fixed his spot on the floor before Botan or George could protest. When Shizuru awoke she did not hear Kagome breathing and it kind of disturbed her that she had overlooked her absence.

Shizuru was silently approaching when Kagome spoke. "Your brother asked me to continue training him once this is over. Are you okay with that?" she asked before turning her head to look Shizuru in the eyes.

"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" Shizuru asked as she took a seat on the steps by Kagome's feet. Kagome, seeing Shizuru sitting, sunk down to where she was also sitting with her head resting on her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs. They talked for a few minutes before Hiei's voice came from out of nowhere, stopping the girl's conversation.

"You human females should be inside sleeping," he said as he appeared just a little ways off.

"Of course you're right," was Kagome's response but she made no move to leave. Shizuru watched in amusement as they had a silent stand off. She could tell that Hiei had no idea what to make of the girl in front of him and that Kagome was debating on saying something or not.

Shizuru was not sure what part of what happened next shocked her more. The fact that Kagome just casually stood up, walked over to Hiei and pulled the two stones he wore around his neck out from under his shirt or the fact he just stood there and just let her do it.

"You need to tell her soon," Kagome said as she played with the stones in her hand.

"Stay out of what isn't your concern," Hiei responded with fire flashing through his eyes.

"You're right it isn't any of my business but I must warn you it will soon be out of your control. You need to tell her before that happens," Kagome told him in a soft and gentle voice as if he was a wounded animal she didn't want to scare off.

"I can't. I have my reasons," Hiei said as he stepped away and Kagome let go of the stones.

"Yes you do have your reason which is that you're a selfish coward," as she finished her sentence Hiei pulled out his sword, "Is that really necessary?" she said pointing at the sword.

Hiei looked at the sword in is hand for a moment and said, "Hn," before putting it away.

&&Point of View Change&&

Hiei was surprised at himself. He had just pulled a sword out on Koenma's mate-to-be without even thinking about it when a moment before he had let her get close enough to him to touch his mother's tears. This woman definitely had a way about her that just confused people.

Hiei was tempted to just walk away since he had accomplished what he had set out to do, telling them to go to bed because he knew Koenma would want Kagome to be resting, but he wanted to know what she meant.

"How will it become out of my control?" he asked.

"That is not my place to tell you. You will see soon enough," Kagome told him.

Hiei could see she was not going to budge so just continued on, "Explain," Kagome did not need to ask what she already knew.

"All you think about is you. It's how you lived most of your life and old habits die hard. You think about how she might react to you or to the things you have done. You find yourself unworthy and it's selfish because, Hiei, it is not about you, it's about Yukina. She needs her brother and it's not for revenge or hatred it is because he is a part of her and is the only one who might have a clue to understanding her. You are the only one who can fill that certain hole in her heart. It doesn't matter who you are or what you have done or how 'worthy' you are. Don't use your mistakes of your past as excuses to make more mistakes in the present," she explained.

After listening to her words and seeing the truth in her eyes Hiei made a decision. Fate had chosen a perfect match for Koenma and she was someone he could respect. He was not yet ready to think on what he needed to do about Yukina but when the time came he would take her words into consideration.

Before anything else was said Kagome reached a hand out and pulled Shizuru up and without letting go of her hand lead her back inside. Hiei went back to his tree where, for the remainder of the night, his thoughts were full of Mukuro.

&&Scene Change&&

Kuwabara woke up before dawn to find that everyone else was already up. After he got ready for the day he went in to the kitchen where he found some of the girls cooking and everyone else talking. He scanned the room observing each person with a new fascination. He could now see their life energy along with their spirit or demon energy and this told him a lot more like what their true emotions were.

As he studied everyone he noticed something that left him feeling stunned. He looked down at his arm so he could see his own life energy and then looked at his sister just to be certain. When it was confirmed he became lost in thought suddenly a lot of things made sense. He stood there for a few moments until Kagome noticed him and got his attention.

"Here," she handed him a bowel of different kinds of fruit.

"What's this?" he asked confused.

"Our breakfast!" she said excitedly, "see I'm having the same thing," and she showed him her bowl.

"You mean we don't get to eat what they're cooking?" Kuwabara said gesturing to Yukina and Kayko.

"Nope, you see these fruits can give a little boost to things like focus and spiritual awareness. Of course it's not much of one but hey we are just mere humans with a really big task ahead of us and we could use all the help we can get, right Hiei?" she said while looking directly at Kuwabara and her back to Hiei. Hiei responded with a glare but Kuwabara could see that he was amused.

"Well then, do you think we can eat in the training area? I have a few things I want to go over with you alone," Kuwabara said it as a question but it was no mistake to anyone who knew him well enough that he didn't mean it as a request.

"Why of course. Whatever you wish," Kagome said before following him out of the room.

"What's with him?" he heard Yusuke say as they left the area.

&&Scene Change&&

When they reached the training area Kagome wasted no time, "What's wrong?"

"Hiei is Yukina's brother and almost all of them in there already know! You had to have known too," Kuwabara started out calm and got madder as he continued. Kagome reached an arm out to keep him quiet. This was not something the others needed to overhear.

"Yes that is true," Kagome told him. Kuwabara went to yell something but Kagome put her fingers on his mouth to stop him, "I know you're angry but you have to understand Hiei doesn't want her to know at least not yet and it is not mine or anyone else's place to tell her what he will not."

"I will not lie to her," was Kuwabara response.

"I'm not asking you to. Although it is not my place to tell her because it is none of my business it is yours. You love her and it would be wrong to keep it from her. I have already warned Hiei that he needs to step up. Just give him today and if he still doesn't come forward feel free to tell her tomorrow," Kagome said.

"It would be better if she heard it from him. Okay the shrimp's got one day but then I'm telling her but not before I pound him into the ground for being a jerk," Kuwabra said with determination in his eyes.

Kagome sighed, "Okay but don't do anything like punching Yusuke. We need this team in top condition and you need to save your energy. Okay?" Kuwabara nodded and they ate their breakfast while discussing things that involved his training.

&&Scene Change&&

Dawn was cracking when the group came together to hear how this was going to be done. Kagome explained to them that she would be taking one human realm sacred object of Gaia and two of demon realm's while Kuwabara would be taking two of human realm's and one of demon realm's.

"I think it would be best if I handled Sesshomaru and Koga," she explained, "oh and I insist you go with Kuwabara's group Koenma."

"What? Not happening Kagome I'm going with you," Koenma said firmly but Kagome did not back down.

"Do I need to remind you of how your 'relationship' with Sesshomaru was? The last thing I need is for you to get in a battle of egos with the world's most prideful demon. At least I know you can get along with Shippo," Kagome said exasperated.

"Don't worry Koenma, I'll go with her and make sure she behaves herself like a good girl," Yusuke said intervening. Koenma did not look happy but did not argue.

"Okay so Koenma's on my team and Yusuke is on Kagome's. Let's see what about everyone else?" Kuwabara said.

"I'll go with you Kazuma," Yukina said with a shy smile.

"You need to go with Kuwabara too Sota, since they will need a guide to Shippo's," Kagome said and her brother nodded in agreement.

"I'm going with Yusuke," Kayko said while looking at Yusuke almost daring him to disagree but Yusuke just laughed.

"I'm staying with my brother," Shizuru said.

Genkai then took charge, "I'll go with Kuwabara's group. Mitarai, Kido, Kaito, and Yanagishawa go with Kagome, you might learn something. That leaves Kurama and Hiei."

"I'll go with the fool's group. If he is the leader I'm sure that's where the trouble will be," Hiei said with a smirk.

"Why you…" Kuwabara said but was cut off when Kurama diplomatically stepped in front of him.

"Then I guess that leaves me to go with Kagome," he said.

"Okay then it's settled," Kagome said, "Well then the first thing we should do is go to my family shrine together. That way I can figure out how this works."

"What you don't know what you're doing?" Yusuke yelled, "Then what was all that training for?"

"I know the technique I have just never used it before. This hasn't been done in hundreds of years. I just want to make sure it works before we separate," Kagome said this as calmly as she could but the disbelieving look Yusuke was giving her pushed her over the edge, "You're an irritating little pest!" Kagome finished with an aggrevated growl.

"No need to get bent out of shape! Not my fault you don't know what you're doing," Yusuke said as he walked by her towards the front of the shrine, full smirk in place, "Well we better get going."

Everyone followed but not before Kagome turned to Kuwabara and told him, "Never mind what I said earlier, hit him as much as you want."


	14. Chapter 13: Colors of Life – Part I

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 13: Color of Life – Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

The group looked in the direction that Sota was and soon they saw a magnificent creature.

Chapter 13: Colors of Life- Part I

When they arrived at the Higurashi family shrine they found it quiet and deserted. Business this time of year was usually slow so it was not unusual for Kagome's mother and grandfather to close down the shrine and go visit friends in other cities as was the case now.

"This is where you and Kagome grew up?" Yusuke asked Sota as he surveyed the property.

"Yes it is," Sota answered before going into his tour guide mode and explaining some of the shrine's history that he thought would be of interest to them.

While Sota talked Kagome silently lead the way to the Goshinboku as her eyes hungrily took in her surroundings. It had been many years since she had been able to visit her family at the shrine for fear of being discovered and bringing King Yama's wrath down upon her family. Koenma followed a good distance behind Kagome but close enough to the group to hear Sota. He could tell she was thoughtful and could fully imagine what was occupying her thoughts since he had many memories here as well. Koenma and Kagome were both pulled out of their thoughts when Sota made an announcement.

"And that over there is the well house that contains the well that allowed my sister to travel though time," Sota said with a dramatic show of his hands.

"In that thing? You got to be kidding. It feels creepy," Kuwabara said as he walked towards the well house.

"You see the well was originally used to dispose of the bones of demons. It was made from the Goshinboku but the negative energy from the demons has been absorbed by the well warping its aura. Here, I'll show you if you aren't scared," Sota said with a laugh as he walked over and opened the door.

"Sota, we are here for a reason you know," Kagome said, stopping him short.

"Oh come on, sis, after you activate the Goshinboku there won't be any time for anything fun since we'll be rushing around trying to activate the other five sacred objects of Gaia. This will only take a minute," Sota said with a pout.

"Yeah, come on, Kagome. We want to see to see it. Stop being such a slave driver," Yusuke said before walking towards Sota.

Kagome just sighed as she watched passively as their big group followed Sota and Yusuke into the well house. She then turned to Koenma, catching his eye since he had remained outside with Botan and George and mouthed the word "children" to him before turning and continuing to the Goshinboku.

When they got to the Goshinboku, Kagome climbed over the small fence before going up to the tree and gently reaching out and touching it. She then ran her fingers along the familiar mark made by the arrow that had pinned Inuyasha to the tree centuries before. Next, she knelt down and started stroking her right hand along the trunk as she placed her other hand on a root that was visible. She closed her eyes in concentration and soon the tree, along with her, began to shine a pale green. Feeling a spike in energy, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama, followed by the rest of the group, came and stood beside Koenma who was watching.

"Kuwabara, Sota, do you see that?" Kagome asked without looking up or opening her eyes.

"Yeah sis, the life flow is amazing," Sota said excitedly.

"We never saw life or spirit patterns like that in training, that's for sure," Kuwabara said, getting closer.

"Okay Kuwabara I want you to watch closely as I continue," Kagome said before focusing all her attention on the task at hand. The pale green shine started glowing brighter and soon the tree's aura expanded out, encompassing the group and filling them all with a sense of tranquility and wellbeing. The glow became blindingly bright but it caused no pain to their eyes and then, when it seemed the trees aura would swallow them whole, it shot upwards becoming lost within the blue sky and the sunlight. Everyone was silent as Kagome, who was slightly out of breath, stood up and faced them. It was Shizuru who spoke what was on a vast majority of the group's mind.

"My little brother has the ability to do something like that?" she said, her voice giving away that she felt a little overwhelmed by the experience.

"Yes and much much more," Kagome responded as she climbed back over the fence. "We should get moving. There is much work to do today and not much time or energy to do it in."

&&Scene Change&&

Kuwabara's team made good time in getting to the shrine that Yusuke and Kayko had found the day before but were discouraged by what they found. The shrine was packed with people and the area where the sacred object of Gaia stood was surrounded. With things the way they were it would be impossible to activate it without causing a major scene.

"Well this is not going to work," Botan said, "I say we need some short of diversion. Yes a distraction would do just nicely right now." As she finished saying this a priest called for everyone attention before beginning a story.

"Hey guys I have an idea," Shizuru spoke getting the groups attention, "These people are concentrating on the idea that there are evil spirits out and about ready to do harm to the living, let's make their fears a reality. Hey you mister dressed in black and all mysterious, you can move fast enough where no one can see you, right?"

Hiei took a few moments to give Shizuru a glare that promised a vast amount of pain before saying, "I have no intention of being any part of this distraction."

Kuwabara, seeing his sister was about to use her own personally style of persuasion on Hiei, reached out and put his left hand on her shoulder to shush her a moment before leaning down to Yukina and whispering low enough that she could hear him.

"Yukina ask him to cooperate. He will do it if you ask. I know you can persuade him," he said this with his right hand on her shoulder and his mouth close to her left ear which earned him a glare from Hiei.

Yukina leaned back a bit and using the same low whisper Kuwabara did and said, "Me? Why would Hiei listen to me?"

"I'll explain later. Please just trust me and do this. I have a feeling it's going to be great," Kuwabara said with a smirk.

Yukina nodded her head before speaking to Hiei, "Please, Hiei, do whatever Shizuru wants. I'm sure it will make this whole thing go faster and we do not have much time to argue." Hiei's eyebrows did a noticeable twitch before he gave his full attention to Shizuru.

"It's not like it's all that hard Hiei," she said to him, "just go around the shrine scaring people and make them think there's a spirit out on the loose. Once everyone is out of the area we will do what needs to be done and then we can get out of here."

Hiei mumbled something that sounded like a death threat as he departed to do his task. Within moments women started to scream and people started leaving the area. Soon the area was almost empty except for a group of teenage boys that stood right next to their goal. Before anyone could address this problem Shizuru took matters into her own hands.

&&Scene Change&&

As soon a Kuwabara leaned down to whisper to his sister Hiei understood what Kagome was referring to the night before. Kuwabara knew he was Yukina's brother and would have no misgivings about revealing that fact to Yukina. He wasn't surprised that he had figured it out but he was surprised that Kuwabara hadn't told her yet. The only logical explanation for that would be that Kagome asked him not to until this situation was over. This left very few options for Hiei.

He could always kill Kuwabara but that would do more harm than good considering everyone would suspect him and besides that would just make Yukina sad and Yusuke angry. Not that he would do that anyways even if he could get away with it since he respected the human even though he would cut out his tongue before admitting it. So that left him two options: tell Yukina himself or let Kuwabara do it for him. The latter was actually the one that held the most appeal. This is what Hiei allowed himself to dwell on as he fluently weaved through the crowd scaring the women, children, and men as he went. If he had been paying more attention to his task he would never have become the victim of the events that were about to take place.

Seeing that the crowd was thinning out, Hiei went towards the forest to find a tree that would have a good enough view to make sure the crowds left and see Kuwabara's progress. He ran swiftly and when he spotted a tree near a small river he jumped and caught his foot on a trap wire causing a net to fall down on him. This normally would not have been any issue except it caused him to land on a lower branch than what he was aiming for that could not support him and the weight of the net. The outcome was inevitable and Hiei found himself landing face first into the water.

&&Scene Change&&

Shizuru strolled purposefully up to the group of boys before she started yelling, "Hey didn't you hear there's a spirit on the lose get out of here!"

The group looked at her broadly before the leader said, "Yeah right as if we are scared of a dumb old spirit."

Shizuru responded to this by going closer to the group until she was face to face with the leader and said, "I said get of here and I suggest you do before I make you get out of here."

Now Kuwabara recognized her tone and felt pity for the boys but it wasn't necessary. This is because the leader of the group must have had an older sister like Shizuru as well since he took one look at her and told his group that they'd better be leaving now. With the boys gone the area was clear to activate the sacred object of Gaia.

Kuwabara put his hands on the tree while still standing and soon it started to glow in a similar manner as before except this time the light was a pale blue. The process was not as smooth or quick as when Kagome had done it but the end result was the same. Soon the light was shooting up and once again was lost in the sky. Kuwabara, out of breath, then walked back the group.

"Well done," Koenma said as he smiled at Kuwabara and the others looked on with approval.

"We need to get moving. Where is Hiei?" Genkai asked. Shortly after she asked a basically dry Hiei appeared and they left to head to the next shrine.

&&Scene Change&&

The journey to the shrine Kurama and Shizuru had found was uneventful. Once there Kuwabara went right to work causing a yellow light to shoot into the sky. Afterwards the group could see Kuwabara was tiring but he did not say anything about his fatigue as they went deeper into the forest towards the border of demon world.

The group walked in silence except for Sota who was taking the time to explain to the humans of the group the different plants and animals they were seeing in demon world. They walked until early evening when Sota told them to stop.

"We are almost to the border of Shippo's territory. He is a fox demon who is a master of illusion who is also using a sacred object of Gaia to protect his borders. Meaning if you get separated from me you won't be finding your way in," he said before continuing. After walking a bit more, Sota stopped again and scanned the trees before adjusting their course.

"Oh it seems as if Shippo's coming to greet us," Sota said as he stopped once again and turned to the right of the group.

The group looked in the direction that Sota was and soon they saw a magnificent creature. In many ways it reminded them of Youko. He has long flowing hair but instead of silver it was red with bright turquoise eyes instead of gold. He wore lose fitting cloths the same color as his eyes and his face was softer than the harsh looking Youko, but still seemed as serious.

"Hey, Ship! What brings you out here?" Sota said as he waved his hand in greeting.

"Didn't feel like waiting," Shippo said with a smile, "besides I have been watching this group along with you and Kagome so I thought it would only be proper to come out and introduce myself before showing them my lands." After saying this to Sota he turned to address the rest of the group.

"I am Shippo one of three self-appointed overseers of the living world, both the human and demon realms," as he introduced himself he bowed gracefully low to the ground. As he straightened out he continued, "You are to be the first outside of our group to walk upon our lands. Take this as the honor it is."

With this said almost all seriousness about Shippo melted away, "Okay with that out of the way let's go! I want to see Kuwabara activate the sacred object Gaia so I can find out how many of our group are now Kami's! The quicker we do that the quicker Koenma will become king and he will make things right with Kagome and then she'll be completely happy," Shippo then walked up and grabbed Kuwabara by the arm and started dragging him through the forest while the rest tried to keep up.

In a relatively short time the trees thinned out some and the land flattened out exposing a village. When the group laid eyes on it they where shocked. The village consisted of houses built in trees, mud huts, wooden houses, and what appeared to be farms but it was not the village layout that surprised them, it was the occupants. There were fox demons, wolf demons, humans, and different combinations of all three seen throughout the village. To the side there were children playing and they watched as a human child tripped and scraped her knee and a woman wolf demon kneeling down to comfort the child.

"No wonder my father utterly hates you guys," Koenma said as he took in the sights before him.

Shippo laughed before responding, "We definitely defy what most humans and demons are taught to believe about the relationship between humans and demons. All three of our territories have a mixed population. Although you can say that mine is more dominated by fox demons, Koga's wolves, and Sesshomaru's by humans."

"Sesshomaru is a dog demon, right?" Kuwabara asked. After getting a nod from Shippo he continued, "Then why are there no others with dog demon blood or even at least a mix? Also why are his lands dominated by humans?"

"Well Sesshomaru has never taken a mate and by the time Inuyasha, Sesshomaru's half brother, had children he was already human so Sesshomaru is the only dog demon in our clan. The reason his lands are dominated by humans is because, as I'm sure Kagome has told you, Sesshomaru took in an orphan girl by the name of Rin who he later considered a daughter making all her descendents his," Shippo explained.

Shippo then lead the way to the side of the village to where the sacred object of Gaia stood. A man that looked to be around 30 dressed in monk type cloths stood there waiting for them. When they got near enough Shippo introduced him.

"This is Makoto the keeper of my territory's barrier. Most of the humans' ancestors who started our clan either had spiritual powers or were demon slayers so the ones you meet within our lands are not your typical humans. Makoto's family line is one line of a few that has stayed true to their human and more spiritually aware origins in order to be able to maintain the barriers that protect our borders. This is by his choice, of course. There are many that decided to go into the human realm permanently and live normal lives."

"Makoto," Shippo said, turning his attention to the man, "have you found out any information on how summoning the counsel of the kami's will affect our barriers?"

"No sir, since no one has seen it done we have no way of knowing, but even if the barrier should fail I do not think there will be any hindrance in summoning it once again," Makoto explained, "I have put the village on alert in case of an attack."

Shippo nodded his approval before motioning with his head to Kuwabara to get started. Kuwabara walked up to a tree that was already surrounded by a black peaceful aura. He put his hands on it and had to put more concentration and energy into it then he had to before because the sacred object of Gaia's life force was focused already on the barrier. Soon the black light shot up but the aura around the tree remained.

"The barrier seems to have remained intact," Makoto said.

"Did I do something wrong? I thought it was suppose to call a counsel or something," Kuwabara said confused.

"Don't worry I think you just activated your third one before Kagome. It shouldn't be too much longer," Shippo reassured. A few minutes passed and everyone remained silent as they stared at the tree. Then the tree started pulsating, green, blue, yellow, red, black and then finally white. After the white light pulsed it stilled then shot out surrounding them in blinding light. Then there was numbness.


	15. Chapter 14: Colors of Life – Part II

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 14: Colors of Life – Part II

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

As they neared the sacred object of Gaia, Yusuke noticed a wolf demon that stood out from the rest because he was, well…prettier than the rest, leaning against the tree and assumed that he must be Koga.

Chapter 14: Colors of Life- Part II

Kagome's group made pretty good time considering the group consisted mainly of not-so-experienced humans so they soon found themselves traveling through a pretty dense forest that eventually started to thin out. After awhile they came to a gathering of cliffs that were full of caves. In the center of the cliffs was the sacred object of Gaia which was glowing red.

The group followed slowly behind Kagome towards the sacred object of Gaia as they took in the sight around them. The cliffs were made of smooth rock and the caves were purposefully placed with stairs and walkways brilliantly carved into the face of the rock. Beyond the sacred object of Gaia there was a magnificent waterfall that went down into a wide river that split to surround the sacred of Gaia before coming together again and flowing out of sight.

Wolf demons and wolves could be seen perched on top of the cliffs and strategically around the area on guard duty protecting the wolves, humans, foxes, and those of mixed breeds that could be seen walking around on the sides of the cliffs and by the rivers.

"Humans?" Kayko asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"Yeah and aren't some of these of a mixed blood?" Yusuke added.

"Yes. Does this really surprise you all that much?" Kagome questioned. Kurama and Kayko nodded in the affirmative while Kido, Kaito, and Yanagishawa just continued to look around.

"Truthfully I've never really considered the possibility either way that humans could live in demon world or not so I don't know what to think of all this," Mitarai said, gesturing to their surroundings.

"No not really," was Yusuke's response but when everyone looked at him skeptically he continued, "Okay maybe a little but really come on. I am a half-breed and I've worked for a long time with Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara plus all of you guys and the guys who live in demon world. So it doesn't surprise me that demons and humans and even half-breeds could get along, although it is a bit surprising to see it in action."

Kagome smiled at him and said, "Koga's, Shippo's and Sesshomaru's territories are all like this. We are family."

As they neared the sacred object of Gaia, Yusuke noticed a wolf demon that stood out from the rest because he was, well…prettier than the rest, leaning against the tree and assumed that he must be Koga. When they got to the edge of the river, Koga shouted out.

"Hey! It'll just be faster if I bring you guys over." Yusuke then looked around and noticed there were no bridges and that boats were used to get across the river. About this time he heard Mitarai give a startled yelp but before he could turn to see why, Mitarai was across the river and Kido vanished.

In a matter of moments, Kaito, Yanagishawa, Kurama, Yusuke, Kayko, and Kagome were in the middle of the river standing on the land that surrounded the sacred object of Gaia. As Koga set Kagome down and the rest tried to get their bearings, Kagome said jokingly to Koga:

"You do realize I am the only one who really needs to be over here, right?"

Koga stuttered a bit before saying loudly, "Why didn't you say something before I moved everyone?"

Well I would have if you had given me a chance," Kagome paused and looked at Koga suspiciously before continuing, "Why do you seem to be in such a hurry?"

"I'm not in a hurry. I have no idea what you're talking about. I am just impatient, you know that," was Koga's response.

"Boy do I know that. Hey where is Ayame?" Kagome asked while looking around.

"She's getting some things ready for me," Koga said and when he saw that Kagome was going to ask more questions he directed his attention to Yusuke.

"So you're Yusuke." Yusuke looked up and met Koga's eyes before Koga continued, "So you're the joker who came up with the whole demon world tournament thing then got beat by Yomi."

Kurama started to laugh which did nothing good for Yusuke's anger, "What….I…you…why I…" Yusuke started before Kagome cut in.

"Oh come on, Yusuke, that was a pretty accurate and even generous description of that little stunt of yours. Besides he has every right to criticize considering if things had turned out differently he would have been one of the ones responsible for cleaning up your mess."

"Well it worked out fine didn't it?" Yusuke asked playfully.

"Yeah it did but you must hold the record for dumb luck," was Koga's response.

"Yes, I believe he must," Kurama said to which Yusuke laughed at.

"Though I am in no hurry," Koga said while looking directly at Kagome, "I must insist."

Kagome looked at the direction Koga was pointing and said, "Oh right, we are here for a reason," and walked over to the tree.

She once again kneeled and placed one hand on the trunk of the tree and the other on a root. The tree activated shooting red light into the sky but still continued to glow bright. Kagome stood but before she could say anything Koga was taking the group across the river to the opposite side they started on.

"Hey!" Kagome said indignantly as Koga sat her down but Koga cut her off before she could continue.

"You should get going to Sesshomaru's. It's a long walk from here."

"But I haven't seen Ayame or any of your children yet," Kagome protested.

"Which you can do next time you're here when you aren't on a mission," Koga said as he put one hand on her back and the other on her arm and started leading her towards the forest that would lead her out of his territory.

"You are in a hurry! What is going on Koga?" Kagome said, trying to get loose from Koga's grip and face him.

"Please, Kagome, just trust me and go. It really isn't a big deal, I promise," Koga said when he felt her struggling.

"Oh okay then, but I expect a full explanation sometime," Kagome said and then sighed in defeat as she watched Koga swiftly disappear in the direction of the caves after letting her go.

&&Scene Change&&

To get to Sesshomaru's territory the group had to do a lot of upward climbing. Kagome explained to them that the reason for this was because Sesshomaru's home was literally built in to the side of a mountain. When they got to the top of one mountain they found that it was a level piece of land that they could walk around on. Kagome lead them to the other side and what the group saw took their breath away.

The mountain they stood on went down into a level plateau that was full of wild flowers and grass. On the opposite side of the plateau from where they stood was Sesshomaru's 'house', though castle might be a better term. It was an open Japanese style structure made out of some kind of white stone that glistened in the sunlight. It had multiple levels that went up the side of the mountain. A white glow could be seen on the left side from what appeared to be about the fifth level up which most of the group assumed to be the finally object of Gaia.

"Come on now, Sesshomaru will not appreciate being kept waiting," Kagome said and started to make her way down the mountain. When they reached the plateau they found a path that lead through the wild flowers. As they walked, Kayko and Kagome picked random flowers and put them in their hair. When they got close to the entrance of the castle they found a group of women outside sitting in the grass watching a group of children about four and younger play. Kagome lead them all in to the castle, only stopping long enough to wave at the group. Kagome then took them up some stairs that lead to the second floor and stopped before two grand doors that had designs on them depicting a few generations of dog demons done in silver.

"As I've said before, we are a family so you can say Sesshomaru is the honored elder of our family. You must show him respect at all times," Kagome said seriously.

"Why, is he one of those demons who get all bent out of shape if you don't address him right?" Yusuke said, not liking the idea of bowing down to someone.

"No, but he deserves respect and if you don't give it to him you will have to deal with me. My family comes first," Kagome warned him.

She then opened one of the doors and led the way inside. They expected to go into a throne room and face a mighty demon on a throne or at least something of that nature but instead they encountered more humans. The area was set up almost like a bazaar with stands that held different goods, from blankets to a variety of food, except no money changed hands. Everything was given away for free.

"There is so much traffic coming in and out of here it was easier to set up a system such as this to hand out supplies and take care of needs. That way no one needs to worry about who needs what. If you need something you just come here and get it. The food shops are done by certain families that love to show off their culinary skills. They really serve no other purpose than that since we do have main dining halls," Kagome explained as she led them through the crowd. People were moving by and around them, not paying much attention. When they were about half way across the area, Kagome grabbed a woman by the arm and stopped her

"Hey have you seen Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked.

"Yes actually just a few moment ago actually," the woman then turned and pointed to the stairs on the opposite side of the room, "He was going up to the next floor with Ayame."

"Ayame? Okay thank you," Kagome said before heading to the stairs. They went up to the next floor and were greeted by Sesshomaru.

"Welcome little one. From the way the sacred object of Gaia has been acting I would say that Kuwabara has already completed his part of this task. You better hurry," Sesshomaru's tone left no room for argument so Kagome decided her questions could wait and followed him to the tree.

They went up and then out of the building to where the sacred object of Gaia was located. The aura around the tree was pulsating as if it was beckoning someone to release it but when Kagome went to approach it Sesshomaru stopped her.

"Wait until Fatima is present," Sesshomaru commanded.

Kagome nodded in understanding before explaining to the group, "Fatima is the keeper of the barrier surrounding Sesshomaru's territory. We don't know what will happen once I activate the tree so as a precaution Fatima needs to be present in case the barrier fails," after a few minutes a woman younger than Kagome but older than Yusuke ran in. After apologies it was time for Kagome to activate the tree.

She knelt down and placed her hands in the same manner as she had done before. As soon as the white light went into the sky the tree started pulsating, green, blue, yellow, red, black and then finally white. After the white light pulsed it stilled then shot out surrounding them in blinding light. Yusuke instinctively grabbed Kayko pulling her close as Sesshomaru grabbed Kagome pulling her away from the tree as numbness took them.

&&Scene Change&&

Soon the numbness started to fade as did the light. Once Kagome's eyes adjusted she looked around. She felt a hand holding her arm and looked up to see Sesshomaru standing protectively behind her with his other arm stretched out to help Fatima stay standing. To her right she saw Yusuke holding Kayko, Kurama, Kido, Kaito, Yanagishawa, and Mitarai. To her left she saw Kuwabara, Shizuru, Hiei, Yukina, Genkai, Botan, George, Koenma, Sota, Shippo and Makoto. Before she could ponder on where they were or how Kuwabara's group got there a fimalar voice called out.

"It's good to see that you're still very protective of what you consider yours, brother."

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru stated as he let go of both Kagome and Fatima. The rest of the light faded out of the room and everyone could see they stood in the middle of what looked like a senate of kami. Inuyasha, fully human, stood just a little ways in front of them.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out before rushing forward and hugging him. He hugged her back before she moved on, "Sango, Miroku, Kaeda, Rin, Kikyo, Kohaku," she cried out as she gave each of them a hug. By the time she was done Inuyasha was near tears from laughing so hard.

"You better appreciate what you've been given," Inuyasha said seriously as he stared down at Koenma while still laughing.

"Inuyasha, please we don't have that much time," Miroku said, bringing everyone's attention to him, "King Yama's special defense force has the power to end this meeting and there are certain things that must be said. One of which is that we, in the full power that has been bestowed on us as kami, have decided that it is time for a new king to reign. With this being said we will now remove our blessing from the current king and, once you have completed the task of taking your rightful place as king, we will give that blessing to you."

"You mean you will accept me as your king?" Koenma asked in awe. Kagome moved to him threw her arms around his neck to give him a hug.

"That's what the man just said silly," Kagome said laughing.

"The only one here who has ever thought otherwise was you," Inuyasha told Koenma. Just then everything shook.

"It seems our time is up," Kagome heard Sango say before things started to fade and the bright light returned. Koenma tightened his grip around Kagomes waist.

"Koenma?" Kagome said questioningly suddenly very afraid to let him go.

"Kagome don't let go," she heard Koenma command and she could tell he was feeling the same fear, "Kagome please don't leave me again," She clung to him as tight as she could and wished she could get her voice to work enough to tell him she wasn't leaving by her own choice but she could feel she was going to.

"I'm sorry," was all she could say as she felt the numbness start and Koenma was taken from her arms. The last thing she heard was Koenma calling out her name as the numbness fully took her.


	16. Chapter 15: Completion?

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 15: Completion?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

Well aren't you coming? We don't have all century you know.

Chapter 15: Completion

The experience of having their consciousnesses returned to their bodies was jarring and unwelcome. In fact it was similar to being awakened suddenly by a glass of cold water being poured over their faces but they were not given much time to readjust to the world of the living or ponder on their experience.

Shippo regained all of his senses when he heard Koenma calling out Kagome's name and quickly addresses the situation to find a few things disquieting. The barrier that protected his lands was down, leaving his clan open to the large invasion force that could be seen in the sky heading their way and to make matters worse Kuwabara had collapsed and Koenma skin had a weird glow.

He registered this in a matter of seconds before letting out a sigh, "Why did they have to choose to attack from this side?" Seeing Hiei and Genkai look at him he continued, "In this part of my territory there is a large amount of area that will have to be defended. Now Special Defense Force people are only class A, class S at the most, but with that many it will be hard to keep them all from getting through to the village. Not that they won't be able to defend themselves. I just don't appreciate the idea of outsiders seeing my land without permission."

Hiei turned his attention to Kuwabara who was being worried over by Yukina and Shizuru, "and the fool over there will be no help in keeping them out," he said matter-of-factly.

"Leave him be. He deserves a rest," Shippo said before calling out to Makoto for a status report.

"I'll have the barrier back up soon but not before those get here," Makoto said lifting a hand to point to the task force that was almost close enough to land.

Shippo gave a nod of understanding before turning to Koenma who now was down on one knee with a very worried George and Botan on either side of him, "You okay over there?"

"Yeah I just feel a little weird and my skin looks green… besides that I am just dandy. Don't worry about me, I'll join the fight momentarily," Koenma responded.

"Okay here comes the 'fun' part," Sota called out as the first batch of the Special Defense Force landed.

They did not remain on the ground long though because Shippo immediately charged at them, unleashing fox fire that forced them back into to sky. Before they could make a second attempt at landing they were greeted by Genkai's spirit gun followed by Hiei's dragon of the darkness flame. As soon as Hiei's dragon died down the Special Defense Force was back on the offensive determined to get close enough to land.

After a few rounds of this, Hiei yelled out, "This is getting us nowhere!" Hiei yelled.

"There's no need to actually defeat them we just need to keep them entertained until Makoto can reactivate the shield. Once the shield is up it won't matter anymore," Shippo yelled back as he prepared for the next wave.

So Shippo used his fox fire to drive anyone off the ground that was close enough to attack while Hiei and Genkai did there best to drive them back and Sota mainly stood back prepared to take out anyone who made it passed them. They were holding their ground easily but soon the Special Defense Force changed tactics and started flying straight at them in an attempt to get passed them. Koenma saw what they were trying to do and quickly made a net like barrier behind them that would be enough to slow down any attempt to reach the village. After he joined the others in the fight he was surprised, not for the first time, at the amount of chaos and destruction Hiei could create using nothing more than his speed and his sword when he put his mind to it. Sota, who had joined the rest on the front lines, was showing skills that made Koenma wonder just how much Kagome might have increased in power over the years.

&&Point of View Change&&

Hiei's mind was racing. There were so many enemies constantly charging him that he was forced to resort to fighting by pure instinct rather then by any type of logical strategy, something he hadn't needed to do for some time and was finding it was no longer to his liking.

After awhile, Hiei was starting to tire so when the Special Defense Force sent an especially large group at them, two enemies were able to make it passed him. He quickly finished with the group he was fighting and hurried after them when he saw their target was Kuwabara who was resting on Yukina's lap. As he increased his speed, Yukina and Shizuru looked up to see not only the two soldiers coming at them but to see them disappear. Right after Makoto was able to reactivate the barrier, it effectively drove the Special Defense Force out of Shippo's territory.

Hiei stopped cold when the members of the Special Defense force disappeared and looked around in confusion. Enemies did not just disappear in the middle of an aerial assault. He could see his sister and Shizuru were just as confused.

"Oh that was just Koga," Sota informed them when he noticed their perplexed faces. Still seeing that they were confused he pointed to the side. There they saw a wolf demon standing on top of two very unconscious Special Defense Force members.

Koga then stood up and picked the two up by the backs of their jackets and proceeded to walk them over to the edge of Shippo's territory and throw them through the barrier. Then, with a satisfied grin, he strolled slowly back to them.

"And what, may I ask, are you doing here?" Shippo asked pointedly.

"Sesshomaru sent me," Koga answered, "He figured you would want to be with Kagome so he told me to come over here to watch over your territory."

"What about your lands? Wouldn't the barrier have failed there as well?" Shippo asked.

"Yes but your lands and Sesshomaru's were the final activation points and should be the places that attracted the most attention and besides I left Ayame in charge and she can handle things perfectly fine. You are the one who has a mate with little ones to think about. So leave things to me. Your orders are to take everyone and go through the tunnels and meet Kagome then head to the human realm," Koga explained.

Shippo, who seemed to accept what Koga was saying at face value, turned his attention to the rest of the group. "Listen up, we're all heading back to the human realm now so we need to head into the village," before anyone could comment, Shippo walked over to Kuwabara and lifted him onto his back before walking towards the village.

Once he saw everyone was following he continued, "We have a cave system that connects our territories to the human realm. They use to be the only way we could go back and forth between realms but ever since the barrier went down hardly anyone uses them anymore." With this explanation everyone seemed content to follow in silence as Shippo lead them to a cave that descended far into the earth before flattening out.

They walked for a good while before Koenma broke the silence, "So this is how the members of your group were able to travel back and forth between realms without detection."

"Yep we punched a hole in your barrier down here and since we did it with the help of human monks and priests we were completely undetectable," Shippo explained with a smirk as Koenma frowned at him.

"Oh lighten up and stop with the Sesshomaru impersonations. It's not like there was ever any risk of demons that shouldn't be allowed through getting through our hole," Shippo said a few minutes later after seeing Koenma had a fierce look on his face.

Koenma gave a startled jumped when Shippo spoke and said, "Oh no, it's not that, I'm just…very irritated."

"Irritated? I see no reason to be irritated," Botan said.

Koenma glanced at her before saying, "It's Kagome. I just feel very irritated that she's not here and it is getting worse as more time passes."

"The glow on your skin is getting darker as well," Genkai pointed out.

Shippo studied Koenma for a moment before saying, "let's pick up the pace."

As they started walking faster, Shizuru decided to voice a question, "Isn't he heavy?" she asked as she pointed at her brother.

Shippo smiled at her in understanding. "He used a lot of energy today. He will sleep for quite awhile and then be as good as new. Actually I think he is getting the better end of the deal here. These tunnels are quite long and we still have a long ways to go."

&&Scene Change&&

The first thing Kagome noticed after the numbness faded was that her skin had a light pink glow to it. The second thing was Sesshomaru's calm voice giving out orders to Fatima and Yusuke which surprisingly the latter was following. Finally she saw the sky covered in hordes of Special Defense Force members.

"King Yama isn't taking any chances, is he?" Kagome asked quietly.

"He would be a fool not to take all actions possible to ensure his victory in this matter," Sesshomaru responded, "though in the end he will still be a fool all the same."

"Wait I met some of these guys and they weren't all that tough," Yusuke stated as he made sure Kayko was going to be far enough away from the impending battle.

"Normally King Yama's policy is to only send what he thinks would be necessary to complete a task. He did not anticipate Koenma's defiance so sending such a low rank team was a mistake but believe me if Koenma did not interfere what he sent would have been more than enough to destroy your unconscious body," Kagome explained.

"What should we do?" Kido asked.

"You humans should stand behind me, Kagome, Kurama, and Yusuke as a secondary line of defense. He is right in saying they are not a very tough enemy but there is no reason not to be as cautious as possible. Make sure no one gets to Fatima or Kayko. This battle should be a short one since once Fatima gets the barrier back up it won't matter anymore," Sesshomaru told them.

Soon the Special Defense Force was upon them but between Sesshomaru's sword, Yusuke's spirit gun, Kurama's rose whip, and Kagome's sacred arrows it was hardly a challenge since the area they were defending was much smaller then Shippo's territory.

After a few minutes Yusuke yelled out to Fatima, "Can you hurry it up over there? This is really boring!"

"I will have to say I second that," Kagome added.

"Almost done," Fatima said with a laugh. After another minute or so the barrier was once again in place.

"It is now time to go. You can get back to the human realm and meet up with Koenma by going through the tunnels. I gave orders to Koga to head to Shippo's territory so Shippo would be able to accompany the others," Sesshomaru explained as he led the way back through his home.

"So that is what Koga was up to! He was acting completely suspicious like he was trying to get rid of us," Kagome told him to which Sesshomaru gave a bit of a laugh.

"With the barriers in place we shouldn't be having anymore problems here. You can tell Koenma that I fully expect to be the first person he talks to once he has taken his rightful place as King. There is much to be discussed," Sesshomaru said.

"Understood, I will pass along the sentiment," Kagome said before bringing her attention to her arms, "Do you have any idea why in the world I am glowing like this? It isn't permanent is it?"

"If I'm correct it is nothing to worry about so don't concern yourself with it and make haste through the tunnels," Sesshomaru said.

Kagome bowed to him in respect before leading the others into the cave entrance that Sesshomaru had brought them to. As they started to walk through it became apparent just how much the day's activities were taking its toll on Kayko. Yusuke quickly remedied this problem by carrying her on his back and soon she was asleep.

After a little while longer Kagome spoke up, "so this tunnel will lead to a big room that will have three other tunnels leading from it. Wait there for the others if they aren't there already. I'm sorry but I will not be able to lead you any further. I'm just a little…tired…" Then before the others could question her she passed out.

Yusuke, knowing that the other humans in the group were too tired to carry her, let out an exasperated sigh, "Oh man, is she okay?"

Kurama stepped forward then kneeled down next to Kagome and turned her so she would no longer be face first on the ground before saying, "She seems fine, just passed out. Don't worry I'll carry her. I've been waiting for this moment."

"Waiting for this moment?" Kaito asked as he adjusted his glasses. The other three humans that stood behind him stared at Kurama in disbelief.

Yusuke voiced what was on everyone's mind, "You do realize she is Koenma's girl right? Who is about to become the most powerful man in existence within the next few hours! Are you crazy!"

"Oh no, no, no, no," Kurama said eyes wide as he waved his hands in denial. "That is not what I meant at all. I meant she just used a lot of energy to activate the Sacred Object of Gaia and then she fought with us back there. I was expecting her to pass out and actually I'm surprised she lasted this long."

Yusuke eyed him suspiciously before saying, "Well okay. Then let's get going."

Mitarai helped Kurama get Kagome on to his back before they continued on their way.

&&Scene Change&&

Shippo's group was the first to reach the room where all four tunnels met. Seeing that they were going to have to wait, Shippo told everyone to get comfortable and rest a bit as he propped Kuwabara up against a wall. He then sat down and started talking with Botan, Yukina, George, and Shizuru. Hiei stayed standing, leaning against the wall across where Kuwabara was at and listened into the others' conversation while Koenma paced back and forth, growing more agitated by the minute.

After awhile, Genkai, who was trying to meditate, snapped at Koenma and told him to sit down and shut up. Koenma responded to this by giving her a glare but he stopped his pacing and moved to lean against a wall. It was a little bit longer before they sensed the other group's arrival. Yusuke was the first person through the entrance with Kayko on his back, followed by Mitarai, then Kurama with Kagome on his back, and then finally Kido, Kaito, and Yanagishawa.

Upon seeing Kagome, Koenma rushed forward and took her off of Kurama's back. The moment his hand made contact with Kagome's skin the glow that was on both of their skins disappeared. Everyone there who could sense energy levels were surprised at the sudden spike they sensed in both Koenma and Kagome. It continued to increase until no one, not even Shippo, could track it.

Koenma went down on to one knee and held Kagome for a few moments while everyone stared before standing with Kagome in his arms bridal style. He then walked passed everyone to the entrance of the tunnel that led to the human realm and stood there a few moments before turning and facing everyone.

"Well that wasn't at all what I expected," Koenma told them with a laugh.

"What wasn't?" Yusuke questioned.

"Completion, it was rather simple don't you think?" seeing the stunned faces of the group, Koenma turned and walked into the tunnel while shouting back at them, "Well aren't you coming? We don't have all century you know."


	17. Chapter 16: The Silent Death of an Era

**Sovereign Destiny**

Chapter 16: The Silent Death of an Era

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline: She didn't know why but she felt as if there was something about this woman, a characteristic that both Yusuke and Kagome also shared. Like a strength that most humans had long forgotten how to possess

Chapter 16: The Silent Death of an Era

The group walked in virtual silence as they made their way towards the end of the tunnel. Koenma, who had taken the lead, kept them at a quick pace even as he glanced back from time to time at Shippo and Yusuke who were staring intently at him. When they reached the end, they were greeted with the night's cool air. Everyone who was conscious gave a sigh of relief to be out of the stagnant cave.

Sota walked ahead of the group as he raised his hands above his head and twirling around a couple of times like a child before saying, "My sister's temple is near here. We should head there for now to rest."

With everyone in tired agreement, they followed Sota through the forest until they came to the front of the shrine. Sota then lead them inside and helped everyone get settled down for the night. After making sure everything was fine, Sota went to sleep as well.

Sota woke up before sunrise to find to his surprised he was not the first up. He looked around the room to find Yusuke snoring away as well as Kurama, George, Mitarai, Kido, Kaito, and Yanagishawa. Even Hiei was fast asleep perched up on the window seal. Sota silently got up and crept over to the entrance where the girls were sleeping to find Botan, Yukina, Kayko, Shizuru, and Genkai. His sister, Koenma, Kuwabara, and Shippo were missing.

He then proceeded to slip out of the room and search for his sister. Sota found all four of them in Kagome's large open kitchen. Kagome was talking while cooking as she had each of the guys cutting up various ingredients. When she noticed him in the doorway she waved him in and gestured to a seat.

"Good morning brother," Kagome said as he sat down. "We were just discussing our next course of action."

"Oh really and what have we decided," Sota asked as he picked up a knife and started to help with the chopping.

"We are going to take the Urameshi approach," Koenma told him.

Sota raise an eyebrow and looked at Koenma in disbelief before saying, "I think I'm afraid to ask."

Kagome laughed at his response, "As you should be."

"We are just going to kick down the front door and make them understand who is king with our fists…err swords, whips… whatever," Kuwabara explained to him with a shrug of his shoulders.

"The counsel is on our side and my power is now complete. There is no need to be diplomatic about the situation. Taking the most forceful and direct approach will be the most beneficial not only for us but the future of both realms as well," Koenma added.

"Sounds logical to me," Sota said as he turned his full attention back to his cutting. Kagome looked fondly at her brother before going back to cooking.

It was awhile before the others began to come into the kitchen. As they ate, they discussed the plan and it was decided almost all non-fighters would remain in Kagome's temple while the others took over spirit world. It was close to 10 in the morning when Koenma, Kagome, Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara, Genkai, Shippo, Botan, and George left for spirit world.

&&Scene Change&&

Kayko walked slowly through the forest that surrounded Kagome's temple lost in thought. It was a peaceful day with a cool mountain breez and a bright midday sun. There was nothing in the surroundings that signified the power take over that was happening in the Spirit world at that very moment. Actually, not even Kayko's thoughts betrayed that fact.

Wishful is the most appropriate word one could use to describe her thoughts. She could still remember the days when her greatest obstacle was to try to get Yusuke to not skip class and her dream was to marry Yusuke, settle down, and have a quiet life. She realized that those simple days were over and had known this for a few years now.

It had first really dawned on her when Yusuke told her he was leaving to go to the demon realm and wouldn't be returning anytime soon. Her instincts told her she should just let him go and that she should stay with what she knew as normal and ordinary. She had told him she would not wait for him but had ended up waiting for him all the same. Then he came back and all had seemed right and their lives almost had the perfect illusion of normalcy but now that illusion was gone and would not be returning.

With Koenma as king there would be no way Yusuke was going to be able or want to live out a quiet ordinary life in the human realm. There were changes to be made in all realms and Kayko knew Yusuke would be one of the ones making those changes happen. The question was how did she feel about this? Was she willing to stand by a man whose version of ordinary should have only been found in action movies and comic books? Could she even handle it? In truth she didn't really feel like any of it mattered anymore. She loved Yusuke and she was up to the challenge.

Kayko had a sense of determination that she would make it work. She was going to be his wife after all. With this thought in mind she let out a sigh and stopped walking to take a better look at her surroundings. She had been walking past what appeared to be an ancient burial site and recalled Kagome saying something about this place having been a village in the feudal era before the villagers were all killed.

She continued walking until she came to the side of a mountain and noticed the entrance to a cave. After entering, she walked until she found Midoriko standing in all her horrific glory. She stood there and stared for a minute before walking over to get a better look at the woman's face. She didn't know why but she felt as if there was something about this woman, a characteristic that both Yusuke and Kagome also shared. Like a strength that most humans had long forgotten how to possess. It was the reason this woman was where she was and it was the reason that made Yusuke what it was. Kayko decided to make it the reason why she knew he would always come home to her.

&&Scene Change&&

Yusuke, Koenma, Kurama, Shippo, Hiei, Kagome, Kuwabara, Genkai, Botan, and George walked in cautiously and quietly through the gates of spirit world. They had yet to run in to any kind of resistance or anyone as a matter of fact which made everyone more then a little uneasy. As they reached the main ogre work area sadness and some anger was added to the feeling of uneasiness. Gone were the loud noises of the chaos that should be currently taking place. It was now closer to a brightly lit tomb with every step echoing hauntingly through the halls.

Koenma walked to the center of the room before stopping. He dropped his chin to his chest and took in a few deep breaths before turning and facing the rest of the group. The emotion in his eyes was breath taking, though his voice portrayed very little of it when he spoke.

"Okay let's break into groups and search for my father. If you find him do not engage him, instead come find me," at the end of saying this Koenma looked Kagome in the eyes before turning and walking off.

Kagome seemed to understand whatever the look meant and turned and walked down the opposite hallway Koenma went down. The rest of the group exchanged looks before going their own ways. Botan and George went after Koenma as Kuwabara went after Kagome. Yusuke and Genkai went off down another hallway leaving Hiei, Shippo, and Kurama to head down the last remaining hallway.

&&Scene Change&&

Yusuke and Genkai walked down their hallway only stopping long enough to open doors to see that they just lead to deserted offices. Eventually the hallway leaded to a large room full of desks. Soon after entering the room, Yusuke spotted the back of Shippo, Kurama, and Hiei's heads as they were exiting the room. Not taking the time to see if Genkai noticed them as well he gave a shout and took off running to catch them.

"Quiet fool. Do you want everyone and anything to hear you?" was the greeting he received from Hiei when he caught up with them. Genkai caught up a short time latter.

Ignoring Hiei, Yusuke questioned, "Have you guys run into anything yet?" After seeing them nod negatively, Yusuke continued, "Man how can this place just be deserted like this? Where are all of King Yama's royal defense force?"

"Yes, this is quite strange," Kurama responded.

"Actually, I don't really think it is," Shippo stated before continuing down the hallway.

"What do you know that you aren't sharing?" Genkai asked pointedly.

"Huh? Know? Oh I know nothing I assure you," Shippo told her earning a smirk from Hiei, which he answered with an eye roll. "My instincts tell me that this is the natural way of things. Besides I hardly think King Yama's a fool, and fighting his son who has his power complete and the counsel on his side would indeed be a foolish thing to do."

"True," Yusuke said as they continued their way down in silent contemplation. Soon they passed through doors that lead to an open area. On the other side was what could only be described as a 'magical' looking doorway. It had double doors that were so tall none of them could see the top of it. There was beautifully scripted writing carved in silver throughout the doors.

"This looks to be the entrance to where the kami reside but it's sealed," Kurama said.

"Through there is where the kami reside but it's also where counsel meetings are held. Also, the entrances to limbo and other places of rest are there. That would be why we haven't seen any spirit guides. Their work area, when they are not guiding souls, is inside as well. They are trapped with the kami." Genkai explained to them. At seeing their expression she continued, "Having truly died once and being close friends with Koenma does have its perks, you know."

Shippo gave an amused chuckle at Yusuke as he gave his responce to Genkai, resulting in another round of verbal insults with his favorite teacher. After the two of them calmed down, the group turned around to head back the way they came.

&&Scene Change&&

Kagome and Kuwabara walked in comfortable silence down their chosen path. After turning a corner they spotted a magnificent opened door. After sharing a look with Kuwabara, Kagome walked up to the door and ran her fingers over the elegant carvings.

"I don't understand, I thought for sure this area would be sealed off," Kagome said aloud to herself.

"Why is that?" Kuwabara questioned.

"Beyond this door is one of the passage ways that lead to where the kami reside and to limbo and such. Since we haven't run into anyone I thought that King Yama must have sealed himself inside with the kami. Though it looks like I am wrong." When she noticed Kuwabara giving her a contemplative look she threw her hands into the air before continuing, "Well now this is confusing but might as well continue on!"

&&Scene Change&&

It wasn't long until Yusuke and the rest met back up with Koenma, Botan, and George, since they too had run into a dead end with no signs of the king. With only one other path left to them they went after Kagome and Kuwabara.

"What is he playing at?!" Koenma exclaimed after a few minutes of walking, "Is he holding up with the Kami? What would be the point of that?" No one bothered answering him but instead continued walking until they came to the open door.

Botan voiced what everyone else was thinking, "A trap?"

This made Koenma eyes go wide, "Kagome!" He shouted before taking off through the door with the rest close behind.

&&Scene Change&&

Soon the hall went into an open garden area. Kagome raised her hand to stop Kuwabara from going forward as she scanned the area. She then put a hand on each of his shoulders and pushed him back into the hallway. Kuwabara, who was very confused, tried to see around her but was blocked by Kagome.

"Please go back and find Koenma. Tell him there is no need to hurry," Kagome told him softly.

"Why wouldn't you be coming with me?" Kuwabara asked, a little more than uneasy with the idea of leaving her alone.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," she told him with a small smile.

He stepped back to comply when he saw what or rather who was in the garden, "You have got to be kidding me. There's no way I'm leaving you here with King Yama."

"But I want to speak with him, alone," Kagome told him firmly.

"Kagome…" Kuwabara started before he was interrupted.

"No harm will come to her," King Yama said in a loud commanding voice that made both Kagome and Kuwabara jump. Kuwabara immediately pulled Kagome behind him before taking a defensive position in front of her.

Kuwabara then evaluated the situation to find King Yama's back to them as he kneeled in the middle of the garden. He couldn't help but think that this powerful demi-god who had ruled spirit world for longer than he could ever even imagine looked just simply tired and old.

"Please, I'm defeated. What benefit would it be to me to continue resisting the inevitable? I have no ill will towards the kami's appointed Queen. I am… just so tired." King Yama turned to look him straight in his eyes as he spoke this.

Kuwabara could tell that King Yama was speaking the truth but that did little to comfort his uneasiness about leaving Kagome there alone with him. It was only at Kagome's insistence that he turned to go but not before getting one last reassuring smile from Kagome.

"Make sure he doesn't rush," Kuwabara heard Kagome call out after him as he disappeared down the hallway.

&&Scene Change&&

"What are you looking at?" Kagome asked gently as she walked towards King Yama then kneeled down beside him. To be honest she was quite worried about this unexpected turn of events and was now doubting her decision to send Kuwabara away. Her anxieties started to ease though as he motioned with his hand to the rose bushes before them.

"My wife planted those by her own hands. Actually this entire garden was her doing. It was one of the first things she did. She said she may now be Queen of the Spirit world but she would always be human at heart and humans needed flowers to make a home a home," he told her.

"I have to say I agree with her," Kagome replied, covering up her surprise at his openness.

"If I was to be truthful to myself, so did I but I never admitted that to her. It didn't really matter if I followed her logic one way or another though. The only thing I wanted was for her to be happy," King Yama told her with grief evident in his voice.

"I'm sure she would be happy to know you have continued to care for her garden," Kagome said suddenly being overtaken by compassion and a desire to comfort him.

King Yama looked up into her eyes at this comment before giving her a sad smile, "you are very kind but I assure you that my love is very disappointed with me. The way I have been treating the living world since her death has surely broken her heart and that's not even considering the way I have treated her son. I am sure to receive an ear full when I am once again rejoined with her."

"I'm sure she'll forgive you and love you anyways," Kagome told him.

To this King Yama laughed, "Yes, she will. She has always forgiven this old fool. No matter my blunders. My heart is glad to know I will join her again this day."

This threw Kagome for a loop. "What do you mean today?"

"I am tired, little one. I'm just so tired. I'm tired of being consumed with bitterness and the blood lust of revenge. I'm tired of hurting my son because I refuse to give him what is rightfully his. I'm tired of spending an eternity of lonely nights avoiding an empty bed. As long as I remain on this side of things, Koenma will have the constant fight on his hands of fixing my mistakes. With me gone he will have a better chance of a clean start," King Yama told her.

"Let me tell you a simple mistake I made that lead me down this consuming path of selfishness. I made Kaiya my reason for good and without her I only wanted to make everyone and thing feel the pain and emptiness I did. Please, never let my son make the same mistake. Help him to be stronger then I ever was. Make him strong enough to live without you while continuing in love and gentleness, and to be the ruler I should have been," as he ended he stood.

"I promise," she told him as she bowed her head with her hand over heart, consumed with an emotion she wasn't sure she understood.

"And tell him I'm sorry and please make this place your own," he told her so softly she almost missed it as he went to walk away.

"You aren't going to tell him yourself?" Kagome asked suddenly angered at the idea of him taking the cowards' way out.

&&Scene Change&&

When Kuwabara spotted Koenma he was charging right at him with everyone else not too far behind. With only a split second to decided what to do he dove at Koenma and tripped him. He quickly decided this was not a very smart thing to do when he found himself at the bottom of a very heavy pile of bodies. When they noticed who was responsible, Yusuke started yelling questions at him.

"What?" Yusuke said at the muffled reply that came from Kuwabara.

"I said I would explain if you would get off!" Kuwabara shouted at him in a wheezy voice.

"Oh!" Yusuke said as he realized he was preventing Koenma, Shippo, Botan, and George from getting up off Kuwabara. Genkai, Hiei, and Kurama, who had been far enough, back not to get caught in the disaster, watched in amusement. Once everyone was back on their feet, Koenma asked where Kagome was.

"Well first of all she told me to make sure you took your time getting to her. So let's all just start walking calmly and slowly as possible. Kagome is just fine," Kuwabara told them, obviously a little jumpy.

"Okay so why are we taking our time getting to her?" Yusuke asked.

"What?" Kurama asked when Kuwabara answered too fast to be understandable.

"Okay I said… well…hehe… ummm," Kuwabara stammered.

"Out with it fool!" Hiei yelled in impatience.

"Okay fine. She's talking with King Yama and she wanted a few minutes alone with him," Kuwabara finally told him.

They all started running again once his words registered, which he fully expected. He just hoped he had stalled long enough

&&Scene Change&&

"How can you be such a coward? You old fool. You could at least act like a man and tell him goodbye!" they heard a very angry Kagome shout as they approached the entrance of the garden.

"I am not a man. I'm a demi-god. You, woman, do not have authority over me. I will handle this my way. Koenma may now be king but I'm his father and I will handle this as I see fit," King Yama yelled back at her obviously very angered by her words, "What good would it do for me to face him after all I have done?"

"It would give me a chance to say goodbye and that I forgive you. Plus I get to tell you to give my love to mother," Koenma said announcing his presence as he breezed into the room. He walked over to Kagome and put an arm around her in an attempt to calm her.

To this King Yama laughed, "She's a feisty one. Sure you will be able to manage her?" The glare Kagome directed at him only made him laugh harder, "Her loyalty is surely delightful. I am sure you will have a joyous life my son. I shall wait for the day I will see you both on the other side."

Then, without another word or even a backward glance, King Yama walked into the hall that would lead him to the door that would take him to the other side, leaving a very confused group of fighters behind. Soon they felt the seals that were locking down spirit world lift, signaling that the era of King Yama had ended and a new ear was about to begin.


	18. Epilogue: Dare to Call Family

**Sovereign Destiny**

Epilogue: Dare to Call Family

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Story Summary:

A new threat will reunite the Yu Yu Hakusho team once again but this time the stakes are different and much higher. Will the once spirit detective and friends rise to this new challenge or will they prefer to sit back and allow fate to decide for them their place in the worlds?

Chapter Tagline:

He would become the man she thought him to be and he would take care of and love her for better or worse, to death do they part, always and forevermore.

Epilogue: Dare to Call Family

Yusuke took a deep breath as the music started and the doors opened to reveal his mother. He couldn't help smiling widely at seeing her so happy that she was finally living life again instead of drinking it away. Her escort was a nice man she met at rehab who was there visiting his younger sister. He was a man that he could approve of to take care of his mother and had a feeling they would be taking the plunge themselves soon. Shortly after his mother, Kayko's mother was escorted down by her brother.

He had to hold in a silent chuckle as Kurama escorted Shizuru not failing to notice the slight pink flush on both their checks. From the way Hiei was smirking from his seat in the front row of the groom side told Yusuke that he had noticed it as well. There had been no way to convince Hiei to stand with him but he felt honored he was at least there sitting in the row reserved for his family of all things.

Though he had succeeded in not laughing at Kurama no matter how hard he tried he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him as Hiei's smirk turn to an icy death glare when Kuwabara escorted Yukina down the isle and they took their places. True to his word, though there had been little doubt, Kuwabara kept silent for a while. Hiei knowing better then to test Kuwabara's honor took the initiative and revealed his secret to Yukina, who much to Hiei's relief accepted him warmly. Of course this just allowed Hiei to be able to openly disagree with Kuwabara's and Yukina's relationship though Yusuke was fairly sure it was just an act.

As the doors were shut again in preparation for Kayko Yusuke took a moment to focus on the crowd that filled his side of the church. Kagome and Koenma sat proudly in the front row between his mother and Hiei. Both of them looked as relaxed as a cat bathing in the sun which he really envied since his stomach was in knots. In the rows beyond them he spotted the demons he befriended at the dark tournament and admired Shippo's handy work at making them look human. At this thought he glanced over at Yukina and admired how beautiful she looked with black hair and blue eyes in her teal colored dress, a perfect example of Shippo's masterful illusionary skills.

Yusuke then spotted Sesshomaru, Koga, Ayame, and Shippo in the back rows who were calmly taking in the festivities right as the music began and the doors once again opened. All thoughts of looking around were suddenly thrown from his mind as he laid eyes on Kayko. She looked beautiful in her dress and so calm! As if this was the most sure thing she would ever do in her life. He smiled at this thought because he knew she was the most sure thing in his life.

Yusuke suddenly felt a firm sense of determination fill him as Kayko's father handed Kayko's hand to him. He would become the man she thought him to be and he would take care of and love her, for better or worse to death do they part, always and forevermore.

&&Scene Change&&

Kagome left her husband talking with Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara and made her way away from the crowd. She found a bench near the fountain that was outside the reception area and sat down. This is where Shippo found her a short time later.

"Nice wedding don't you think? Yusuke and Kayko look so perfect together," Kagome said to Shippo when he had taken his seat next to her.

Shippo didn't answer her but Kagome didn't really expect him to. His grin and laughing eyes told her all she needed to know about what he thought of the day's events. So they just sat in comfortable silence until Koga came and informed Shippo that Sesshomaru was ready to go and since Sesshomaru decided Shippo and Koga had spent enough time slacking off they had to leave too. There was much work still to be done in the demon realm now that major reform, courtesy of Koenma and implemented by them, was sweeping the land.

Kagome continued to sit there even after they had left and tried to just enjoy her surroundings but her thoughts kept getting in the way. She just couldn't help herself from going over all the different things that needed to be done over the next few days… weeks… months… and then even years. Realizing she was being ridiculous worrying over things she had no control over now she took a firm grasp of her mind and redirected her thoughts towards the newly married couple.

She had given Yusuke and Kayko her temple as a wedding gift since she now lived in Spirit world and she knew they would care for it with the reverence it deserved. Since she was no longer a fugitive that needed a hideaway she painstakingly, with Shippo's help, took down all the illusions to make it more accessible to Yusuke's mom and Kayko's family without making it completely defenseless. She had already made plans with Yukina, Botan, and Shizuru to go over there and finish unpacking Yusuke's and Kayko's stuff so that it would feel like their home when they returned from their honeymoon in America. She could almost picture…

"I believe Kuwabara is eager to start training as soon as possible," Kagome jumped at the sound of her husband's voice and then frowned at his satisfied smirk. He did that on purpose! "He says you have had enough time to get use to being Queen and now that Yusuke's wedding is out of the way you guys should hurry and get as much training in as possible before it was his turn to go down the isle."

"He didn't say that," Kagome told him skeptical. She didn't pick a man with a death wish to be her apprentice, did she?

"Oh yes he did, and right in front of Hiei too," Koenma told her laughing.

"Oh, my!" Kagome said as she started to giggle.

"And it doesn't stop there. After Hiei finished turning some very interesting colors, Kuwabara continued and said, and I quote, 'though I do believe fox boy here and my sis just might beat me to it', right in front of Kurama and Shizuru. Last I saw him, your brother was helping him escape impending death."

Kagome couldn't breath anymore she was laughing so hard. Maybe her next lesson should be not to provoke others to wrath when bodily injury was definitely going to be the consequence.

"Well the outcome of that is something I don't want to miss!" she told Koenma as she grabbed his hand and lead him inside. The responsibility of all the worlds would always be there but now was the time to make a memory with some of the most interesting assortments of 'people' she proudly declared as family.


End file.
